Off-label prescribing patterns of antiemetics in children: a multicenter study in Italy.

UNLABELLED: Acute gastroenteritis (AG) represents both the main cause of acute vomiting in children under 3 years old and a major cause of access to the emergency department. Even if several drugs may be able to reduce the emesis, the pharmacological treatment of vomiting in children remains a controversial issue, and several drugs are prescribed outside their authorized drug label with respect dosage, age, indication, or route of administration and are named as off-label. The aim of present study was to assess the off-label use of antiemetic drugs in patients less than 18 years with vomiting related to AG. This study was carried out in eight pediatric emergency departments in Italy. The following data were obtained crossing the pharmacy distribution records with emergency departments' patient data: sex and age of the patients and detailed information for each drug used (indication, dose, frequency, and route of administration). We recorded that antiemetic drugs were prescribed in every year, particularly in children up to 2 years old, and compared with both literature data and data sheet; 30 % of the administered antiemetics were used off-label. In particular, domperidone was the only antiemetic used labeled for AG treatment in pediatric patients, while metoclopramide and ondansetron have been off-label for both age and indications (i.e., AG treatment). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, we documented an off-label use of antiemetics in children, and this could represents a problem of safety for the patient and a legal risk for the prescribing physician if patients have an unwanted or bad outcome from treatment.

Plasma derivatives and strategies for reaching self-sufficiency in Liguria: the role of the Transfusion Medicine Service of the Gaslini Institute.

BACKGROUND: Since 2002, Liguria has been part of the Interregional Agreement on Plasma Derivatives (AIP) stipulated among some Regions of north Italy with the aim of contributing to self-sufficiency of the interregional system through exchanges between the facilities lacking products and those with an excess. In Liguria , the management of plasma derivates is entrusted to the Regional Centre for Co-ordination and Compensation (CRCC) which, with strategies of compensation, tries to guarantee that the needs for plasma derivates are covered in the hospitals in its territory. The Services of Immunohaematology and Transfusion Medicine (SIMT) have a goal of increasing the production of plasma in order to participate actively in achieving regional self-sufficiency. METHODS: The SIMT of the G. Gaslini Institute introduced some strategies aimed at reaching this goal. The increase in the number of donations made with a cell separator, the introduction of multicomponent donations of plasma and platelets and the collection of high concentration platelet concentrates led to a considerable increase category A plasma sent for fractioning. Finally, the implementation of shared guidelines on the use of blood components enabled the clinical use of the plasma collected to be kept under control. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The analysis of the trends of consumption of the most widely used plasma derivatives showed an increase in the overall demands, which can be attributed to the paediatric focus of our hospital and to its highly specialised wards. ON THE BASIS OF THE INDUSTRIAL TECHNICAL YIELD, IT WAS POSSIBLE TO CALCULATE THE THEORETICAL COVERAGE OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR PLASMA: this highlighted a better theoretical coverage for albumin but a shortfall of intravenous immunoglobulins. The amount of plasma necessary to meet the theoretical needs was calculated for each plasma derivative, revealing that the derivative requiring the greatest volume of plasma is intravenous immunoglobulins. This finding confirms the change in the "driving product": it is now the consumption of intravenous immunoglobulins that determines the amount of plasma that is sent for industrial processing.