Adscripción del farmacéutico a cuidados intensivos: generando sinergias / Pharmacist Adscription To Intensive Care: Generating Synergies

OBJETIVO: Evaluar la incorporación de un farmacéutico de hospital a la actividad habitual de una unidad de cuidados intensivos (UCI). DISEÑO: Estudio observacional prospectivo para evaluar las intervenciones farmacéuticas, realizadas por un farmacéutico adscrito temporalmente a una UCI, sobre las prescripciones médicas. Ámbito: UCI médico-quirúrgica con 21 camas. PACIENTES: Se incluyeron los pacientes con al menos una estancia en UCI y se excluyeron los pacientes con ingreso y alta en periodos en los que no se contó con la presencia física del farmacéutico. INTERVENCIONES: Se realizaban tras la revisión diaria de las prescripciones y se comunicaban de forma verbal o escrita al médico responsable. Variables principales: Intervenciones realizadas, grupo terapéutico de los medicamentos implicados, forma de realización de la intervención y el grado de aceptación. RESULTADOS: Se realizaron 194 intervenciones en 62 pacientes. La mayoría estaban relacionadas con aspectos de seguridad (33%) y optimización de la terapia (32%). Las más frecuentes se dirigieron a la administración de medicamentos por sonda nasogástrica (19%) y a la monitorización farmacocinética (14,4%). Los grupos de medicamentos más implicados fueron los antiinfecciosos en un 33% de los casos y los del aparato digestivo en un 27%. El 56,2% de las intervenciones se realizaron verbalmente y el 80% fueron aceptadas. CONCLUSIONES: La adscripción de un farmacéutico a una UCI y la realización de intervenciones sobre las prescripciones han permitido mejorar la seguridad y optimizar la farmacoterapia en más de la mitad de los pacientes. La alta tasa de aceptación de las mismas apoyaría la implementación de este tipo de programas en las unidades de críticos

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate incorporation of the hospital pharmacist to the routine activity of an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). DESIGN: A prospective observational study was carried out to evaluate the impact of pharmacist interventions, made by a pharmacist temporarily assigned to the ICU, upon medical prescriptions. SETTING: A medical and surgical ICU with 21 beds. PATIENTS: Patients with at least one ICU stay were included, while patients with admission and discharge in periods when the pharmacist was not present were excluded. INTERVENTIONS: The interventions were made after daily review of the prescriptions, and were communicated verbally or in writing to the supervising physician. MAIN VARIABLES: Number of interventions, therapeutic group of the drugs involved, type of intervention and degree of acceptance. RESULTS: A total of 194 interventions were made in 62 patients. The majority were related to safety aspects (33%) and the optimization of therapy (32%). The most frequent interventions were the administration of drugs via the nasogastric tube (19%) and pharmacokinetic monitoring (14.4%). The most frequently involved groups of drugs were anti-infectious agents (33%) and digestive system medications (27%). A total of 56.2% of the interventions were made verbally, and 80% were accepted. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacist adscription to an ICU and the implementation of interventions on prescriptions have allowed improvement of safety and the optimization of pharmacotherapy in more than 50% of the patients. The high rate of acceptance of these interventions would support the implementation of such programs in critical care units

Pharmacist Adscription To Intensive Care: Generating Synergies. / Adscripción del farmacéutico a cuidados intensivos: generando sinergias.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate incorporation of the hospital pharmacist to the routine activity of an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). DESIGN: A prospective observational study was carried out to evaluate the impact of pharmacist interventions, made by a pharmacist temporarily assigned to the ICU, upon medical prescriptions. SETTING: A medical and surgical ICU with 21 beds. PATIENTS: Patients with at least one ICU stay were included, while patients with admission and discharge in periods when the pharmacist was not present were excluded. INTERVENTIONS: The interventions were made after daily review of the prescriptions, and were communicated verbally or in writing to the supervising physician. MAIN VARIABLES: Number of interventions, therapeutic group of the drugs involved, type of intervention and degree of acceptance. RESULTS: A total of 194 interventions were made in 62 patients. The majority were related to safety aspects (33%) and the optimization of therapy (32%). The most frequent interventions were the administration of drugs via the nasogastric tube (19%) and pharmacokinetic monitoring (14.4%). The most frequently involved groups of drugs were anti-infectious agents (33%) and digestive system medications (27%). A total of 56.2% of the interventions were made verbally, and 80% were accepted. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacist adscription to an ICU and the implementation of interventions on prescriptions have allowed improvement of safety and the optimization of pharmacotherapy in more than 50% of the patients. The high rate of acceptance of these interventions would support the implementation of such programs in critical care units.

Marcapasos transitorios intravenosos / Temporary internal pacing

La estimulación transitoria intravenosa ha experimentado en los últimos años grandes avances tanto a nivel de la técnica de implantación como a nivel tecnológico, a pesar de lo cual es una técnica que puede llegar a presentar graves complicaciones. Habitualmente, se implantan marcapasos provisionales por bradiarritmias o taquiarrítmias refractarias a tratamientos conservadores, o cuando se produce inestabilidad hemodinámica o clínica del paciente. Si sumamos que las indicaciones son mucho menos claras que las de la estimulación cardiaca definitiva, comprobamos que la decisión de implantar un marcapasos provisional intravenoso es siempre complicada y arriesgada, por lo que debemos evitar una sobreutilización de este tipo de estimulación. Para enfrentarnos con mayor garantía a esta situación, debemos valernos de un mejor conocimiento de las arritmias que nos hacen plantearnos el implante, valorar alternativas menos agresivas, como el marcapasos transcutáneo, y valernos de las nuevas tecnologías, como la ecografía, que facilitarán el desarrollo de esta técnica

Technology and insertion techniques for cardiac temporary internal pacing have experienced a remarkable development over the last few years. Despite this fact, the procedure continues to have potentially fatal associated complications. Temporary internal pacing is indicated for the treatment of bradyarrhythmias or tachyarrhythmias refractory to conventional treatment, or arrhythmias causing cardiovascular or clinical instability of the patient. On the other hand, the indications of temporary cardiac pacing are far less well defined than those of permanent pacing. Since the decision of implementing temporary pacing is complex and delicate, it should always be carefully considered, and over-indication should be avoided. We must base these decisions on robust knowledge of the arrhythmias that may benefit from temporary internal pacing, and should also acquire the habit of considering external temporary pacing among other less aggressive treatments, and to make the best use of new technologies such as echocardiography that add accuracy to the procedure

Temporary internal pacing.

Technology and insertion techniques for cardiac temporary internal pacing have experienced a remarkable development over the last few years. Despite this fact, the procedure continues to have potentially fatal associated complications. Temporary internal pacing is indicated for the treatment of bradyarrhythmias or tachyarrhythmias refractory to conventional treatment, or arrhythmias causing cardiovascular or clinical instability of the patient. On the other hand, the indications of temporary cardiac pacing are far less well defined than those of permanent pacing. Since the decision of implementing temporary pacing is complex and delicate, it should always be carefully considered, and over-indication should be avoided. We must base these decisions on robust knowledge of the arrhythmias that may benefit from temporary internal pacing, and should also acquire the habit of considering external temporary pacing among other less aggressive treatments, and to make the best use of new technologies such as echocardiography that add accuracy to the procedure.