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BACKGROUND: In patients who experience a seizure, the seizure duration is a strong indicator of prognosis. Thus, reducing time to antiepileptic medications in patients who are actively seizing is critical. While findings from retrospective studies suggest that the rapid administration of undiluted intravenous (IV) levetiracetam may be safe, some gaps in the literature remain. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this research study was to prospectively assess adverse events associated with the rapid administration of undiluted IV levetiracetam. METHODS: This was a prospective, observational cohort study of adult patients who received rapid administration of undiluted IV levetiracetam at doses up to 4500 mg in the emergency department (ED) of a large community, teaching hospital. The primary endpoint was the incidence of any pre-defined adverse event. Secondary endpoints included the incidence of each type of adverse event, the incidence of seizure termination, and the time to completion of drug administration in patients actively seizing at the time of study inclusion. RESULTS: A total of 321 doses of IV push levetiracetam were ordered for 318 patients and 250 patients were subsequently included. Fourteen (5.6%) patients experienced an adverse event, most commonly due to injection site reactions (9/14). Clinically relevant hypotension, tachycardia, and hypertension occurred in five patients. For actively seizing patients, 79% (15/19) achieved seizure termination and the median time from medication order to completion of therapy was 12 min. CONCLUSION: This study found that the rapid administration of undiluted IV levetiracetam in ED patients was associated with few adverse events.
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Background: Incorporating clinical pharmacists on the medical team has been associated with fewer medication errors and increased error interception. Due to the logistical complexities of the intravenous (IV) N-acetylcysteine (NAC) regimen for acetaminophen toxicity, many opportunities for medication errors exist. A pharmacist-based toxicology consultation service was implemented at our institution, allowing pharmacists to formally aid in the management of toxicology patients throughout their hospital admission, including those with acetaminophen toxicity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a house-wide pharmacist-based toxicology consult service on errors associated with IV NAC treatment for patients admitted with acetaminophen toxicity. Methods: A retrospective, pre-post cohort study was conducted on patients who received IV NAC for acetaminophen toxicity. The intervention evaluated was the implementation of a pharmacist-based toxicology consult service, known as the pharmacy toxicology team. The primary end point was the incidence of an error associated with IV NAC. An error was defined as the composite of inappropriate dose, administration rate, initiation, continuation, or discontinuation. Results: Eighty-four patients were included; 30 patients in the pregroup, and 54 patients in the postgroup. Fewer patients experienced an error in the postgroup compared to the pregroup (30% vs 63%, P = 0.003). Conclusion: The implementation of this unique pharmacist-based toxicology consult service was associated with fewer patients experiencing an error related to IV NAC therapy for acetaminophen toxicity. Application of this data may aid in the justification for development of clinical pharmacist-based toxicology consult services at other institutions.
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BACKGROUND: Clinical pharmacy continues to rapidly evolve as does the need to incorporate unique learning opportunities in pharmacy residency training (eg, transitions of care). OBJECTIVE: To describe the impact of incorporating pharmacy residents into a pharmacist-managed emergency department culture review service (CRS). METHODS: This retrospective study included 500 cultures with positive results evaluated by a pharmacy resident during weekend staffing shifts for patients discharged from the emergency department or urgent care center (UCC). The primary outcome of this study was the number of interventions performed by pharmacy residents. RESULTS: Of the 500 cultures evaluated, 275 (55%) required action by the pharmacy residents, resulting in 233 interventions. Modification of antimicrobial therapy occurred 70 times. When surveyed, a majority of residents strongly agreed that the CRS had a positive impact. Based on evaluations, residents achieved mastery of pertinent residency performance objectives. CONCLUSION: Incorporation of pharmacy residents into a pharmacist-managed emergency department CRS promotes safe and effective medication use to patients discharged from an emergency department or UCC while providing residents additional experience in designing a therapeutic regimen, providing education to patients, and communicating with health-care teams to manage medication therapy.
