Pulmonary Manifestations of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the case of an 88-yearold male with rheumatoid arthritis who developed pulmonary manifestations. Treatment for his RA previously included various biologics, while at the time of pulmonary consultation included meloxicam, methotrexate, and abatacept. Following chest scans, bronchoscopy, needle biopsy, pulmonary function testing, and a thoracentesis, the diagnosis of pleural effusion and nodules associated with rheumatoid arthritis was determined. The patient was recommended to follow-up with the pulmonologist but was lost to follow-up because of nonpulmonary and nonrheumatoid arthritis complications.
SETTINGS: Ambulatory clinic pharmacy practice, Community pharmacy, Consultant pharmacy practice.
PRACTICE CONSIDERATIONS: Drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis may produce pulmonary toxicity similar to what is seen with the disease itself. Drug therapy may require modification if identified as an offending agent causing pulmonary manifestations. If fibrosing interstitial lung disease develops, the addition of nintedanib may need to be considered.
CONCLUSION: In order for pharmacists to better assist providers and patients and improve therapeutic outcomes, it is important for pharmacists to understand that pulmonary manifestations are common in patients having rheumatoid arthritis as well as with drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

Daptomycin experience in critical care patients: results from a registry.

BACKGROUND: Vancomycin is often the drug of choice in critically ill patients with gram-positive infections, although circumstances often prevent its use. In these situations, clinicians are frequently left with limited data regarding alternative agents. OBJECTIVE: To describe patients with reported sepsis receiving daptomycin in a critical care unit. METHODS: This multicenter, noncomparative, noninterventional study identified patients in critical care units, using the Cubicin Outcomes Registry and Experience (CORE) 2005-2009 registry. A descriptive account of patient characteristics, infectious etiology, outcomes at the end of daptomycin therapy, and 30-day mortality is reported. Nonevaluable patients were excluded from the efficacy analysis but included in the safety analysis. RESULTS: We identified 128 patients, 98 (77%) of whom were evaluable for efficacy. Patient characteristics for the efficacy population were 55 (56%) males, 30 (31%) aged 66 years or older, 38 (39%) had creatinine clearance less than 30 mL/min, and 27 (28%) were on dialysis. Common underlying diseases included acute or chronic renal failure 44 (45%), hypertension 40 (41%), and diabetes 27 (28%). Seventy-two (73%) patients were bacteremic. The most common pathogens found were methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (32%), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (21%), and coagulase-negative staphylococci (20%). Prior to daptomycin, antibiotics were used in 84 (86%) patients, most commonly vancomycin (65/84; 77%). The median (range) initial daptomycin dose was 6 mg/kg (3-10) and duration of 10 days (1-58). Overall success rate was 70% (31% cured; 39% improved). Twelve adverse events possibly related to daptomycin were reported in 9 of 128 (7%) patients in the safety population; 4 of these in 4 (3%) patients were serious. The mortality rate within 30 days of completing daptomycin was 42 of 128 (33%) patients. CONCLUSIONS: These data provide preliminary results on the use of daptomycin in critically ill patients with complicated conditions. Controlled studies are needed to best evaluate daptomycin use in these patients.

An efficiency evaluation of protocols for tight glycemic control in intensive care units.

BACKGROUND: The efficiency of protocols for tight glycemic control is uncertain despite their adoption in hospitals. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficiency of protocols for tight glycemic control used in intensive care units. METHODS: Three separate studies were performed: (1) a third-party observer used a stopwatch to do a time-motion analysis of patients being treated with a protocol for tight glycemic control in 3 intensive care units, (2) charts were retrospectively reviewed to determine the frequency of deviations from the protocol, and (3) a survey assessing satisfaction with and knowledge of the protocol was administered to full-time nurses. RESULTS: Time-motion data were collected for 454 blood glucose determinations from 38 patients cared for by 47 nurses. Mean elapsed times from blood glucose result to therapeutic action were 2.24 (SD, 1.67) minutes for hypoglycemia and 10.65 (SD, 3.24) minutes for hyperglycemia. Mean elapsed time to initiate an insulin infusion was 32.56 (SD, 12.83) minutes. Chart review revealed 734 deviations from the protocol in 75 patients; 57% (n = 418) were deviations from scheduled times for blood glucose measurements. The mean number of deviations was approximately 9 per patient. Of 60 nurses who responded to the workload survey, 42 (70%) indicated that the protocol increased their workload; frequency of blood glucose determinations was the most common reason. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses spend substantial time administering protocols for tight glycemic control, and considerable numbers of deviations occur during that process. Further educational efforts and ongoing assessment of the impact of such protocols are needed.