Assessment of weight-based versus standard dosing of heparin in patients with unstable angina.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether a weight-based dosing regimen (80 u/kg + 18 u/kg/h) or a standard-fixed dose regimen (5000 u + 1000 u/h) of heparin is more appropriate in patients with unstable angina (UA). METHOD: A drug use evaluation was conducted. Patient data for all patients weighing less than 100 kg who were in the coronary care unit of a Veterans Administration Hospital and who received heparin for UA (>24 h) over a 7-month period were included. For the first 4 months, patients were given standard heparin dosing and in the final 3 months patients were given heparin based on weight. The proportion of patients achieving activated partial thromboplastin times (aPTTs) that were at least therapeutic during therapy, the time to achieve the aPTT at a level that was at least therapeutic, and the number of patients with aPTTs over the therapeutic range were compared between groups. RESULTS: Patients in the group receiving weight-based heparin therapy (n = 23) were significantly more likely to achieve an aPTT that was at least therapeutic than patients receiving standard therapy (n = 42, 100% vs. 76%, respectively, P = 0.011). When all the patients in each group who achieved an aPTT that was at least therapeutic were compared, the weight-based group achieved the levels significantly faster than the standard-fixed dosing group (7.3 +/- 6.1 vs. 22.6 +/- 17.6 h, respectively, P = 0.0003). However, the use of weight-based dosing was associated with a higher incidence of achieving supertherapeutic aPTTs than standard therapy (78.3% vs. 50.0%, respectively, P = 0.049). CONCLUSION: Patients with UA may achieve therapeutic aPTTs faster than those on standard therapy but they also have a higher risk of achieving a supertherapeutic aPTT.

Follow-up observations on 24-hour pharmacotherapy services in the emergency department.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the impact of 24-hour clinical pharmacy (CP) services in the emergency department (ED). DESIGN: A review of the "on-call report forms" and written consultations provided by CP between July 1985 and December 1987. SETTING: The University of Illinois Hospital. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patient-related versus non-patient-related cases; solicitor; type of and time per consultation; drug concentration determinations by CP; and comparison with other ED consultation services. RESULTS: Of 3787 consultations 3650 (96 percent) were patient-related, 137 (4 percent) were non-patient-related. Consultations were solicited from another individual in 2774 cases (73 percent); they were initiated by the clinical pharmacists in 831 cases (22 percent). Of the patient-related consultations, 1215 (33.3 percent) involved pulmonary disease, 796 (21.8 percent) toxicology, 635 (17.4 percent) seizures, 411 (11.3 percent) cardiac cases, 268 (7.3 percent) pharmacokinetics, and 325 (8.9 percent) miscellaneous. Consultations were solicited by physicians (1806, 65 percent), nurses (652, 23.5 percent), cardiac arrest page (237, 8.5 percent), patients (45, 2 percent), or pharmacists (34, 1 percent). They averaged 100 minutes each. Of 2197 drug concentrations, 1939 (88 percent) were completed by the clinical pharmacist. Concentrations were obtained for theophylline (1055, 54.4 percent), phenytoin (511, 26.4 percent), phenobarbital (324, 16.7 percent), and acetaminophen (49, 2.5 percent). Compared with other consultation services, CP ranked first in regard to frequency of use. CONCLUSIONS: The CP consultation service in the ED was as well used as most physician consultation services and tended to involve specific therapeutic areas that have implications for the training of emergency department clinical pharmacists.