Oxygenator impact on meropenem/vaborbactam in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation circuits.

INTRODUCTION: To determine the oxygenator impact on alterations of meropenem (MEM)/vaborbactam (VBR) in a contemporary neonatal/pediatric (1/4-inch) and adolescent/adult (3/8-inch) extra corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) circuit including the Quadrox-i® oxygenator. METHODS: 1/4-inch and 3/8-inch, simulated closed-loop ECMO circuits were prepared with a Quadrox-i pediatric and Quadrox-i adult oxygenator and blood primed. Additionally, 1/4-inch and 3/8-inch circuits were also prepared without an oxygenator in series. A one-time dose of MEM/VBR was administered into the circuits and serial pre- and post-oxygenator concentrations were obtained at 5 minutes, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 12, and 24-hour time points. MEM/VBR was also maintained in a glass vial and samples were taken from the vial at the same time periods for control purposes to assess for spontaneous drug degradation. RESULTS: For the 1/4-inch circuit, there was an approximate mean 55% MEM loss with the oxygenator in series and a mean 33%-40% MEM loss without an oxygenator in series at 24 hours. For the 3/8-inch circuit, there was an approximate mean 70% MEM loss with the oxygenator in series and a mean 30%-38% MEM loss without an oxygenator in series at 24 hours. For both the 1/4-inch circuit and 3/8-inch circuits with and without an oxygenator, there was <10% VBR loss for the duration of the experiment. CONCLUSIONS: This ex-vivo investigation demonstrated substantial MEM loss within an ECMO circuit with an oxygenator in series with both sizes of the Quadrox-i oxygenator at 24 hours and no significant VBR loss. Further evaluations with multiple dose in-vitro and in-vivo investigations are needed before specific MEM/VBR dosing recommendations can be made for clinical application with ECMO.

Rethinking the Drug Distribution and Medication Management Model: How a New York City Hospital Pharmacy Department Responded to COVID-19.

Beginning in March 2020, New York City began the fight against coronavirus disease 2019. Health care workers were faced with a disease that led to significant morbidity and mortality with no proven therapies. As hospitals became inundated with patients and underwent rapid expansion of capacity, resources such as drugs, protective and medical equipment, and hospital staff became limited. Pharmacists played a critical role in the management of clinical care and drug delivery during the pandemic. As members of the department of pharmacy within NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, we describe our experiences and processes to overcome challenges faced during the pandemic. Strict inventory management through the use of daily usage reports, frequent communication, and minimization of waste was critical for the management of drug shortages. The creation of guidelines, protocols, and restrictions were not only used to mitigate drug shortages, but also helped educate health care providers and guided medication use. Managing technology through setting up new automatic dispensing cabinets to address hospital expansions and modifying the electronic order entry system to include new protocols and drug shortage information were also vital. Additional key pharmacist functions included provision of investigational drug service support and training of pharmacists, prescribers, nurses, and respiratory therapists to educate and standardize medication use. Through implementation of operational and clinical processes, pharmacists managed critical drug inventory and guided patient treatment. As the pandemic continues, pharmacists will remain vital members of the multidisciplinary team dedicated to the fight against the virus.

Pharmacokinetics of linezolid for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia in an adult receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

PURPOSE: We present a case of a 55-year-old man post right lung transplantation receiving ECMO for treatment of respiratory failure secondary to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pneumonia. SUMMARY: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a frequently utilized support therapy for patients with cardiac and/or respiratory failure. Dosing of medications during ECMO can be challenging due to several factors, including sequestration of medications within ECMO circuits, alterations in volume of distribution, and changes in drug clearance. The patient was initiated on empiric antibiotics, then switched to linezolid at a dose of 600 mg every 8 hours. Linezolid plasma concentrations were collected 30 minutes prior to the sixth administered dose and 30 minutes following the 1-hour infusion of the sixth dose, which resulted in values of 0.4 and 1.7 µg/mL, respectively. The ratio of 24-hour area under the curve (AUC0-24) to minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), assuming a MIC of 2 µg/mL, was calculated using the extrapolated maximum concentration (1.9 µg/mL) and minimum concentration (0.35 µg/mL), resulting in an AUC0-24/MIC value of 10.8. Due to subtherapeutic linezolid plasma concentrations, ceftaroline was initiated and continued for a total of 18 days. To our knowledge, this is the second report to describe inadequate plasma concentrations of linezolid during ECMO. CONCLUSION: In the case described here, linezolid at a dose of 600 mg every 8 hours did not achieve target plasma concentrations in a patient receiving concomitant venovenous ECMO support.