Drugs used in patients with renal impairment at Sunpasittiprasong Hospital: A retrospective study

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Mewadee Saisin
Sagonwan Meekom
Korawan Pudpong
Parinya Wongpakdee
Thiti Tumsen
Saksit Sripa
Uraiwan Akanit

Abstract

Introduction: Renal  impairment  alters  drug  pharmacokinetics,  plasma  drug  levels,  drug interactions, and adverse reactions, which are related to the accumulation of renally excreted drugs. Thus, appropriate  dose adjustment  is required  in patients  with reduced renal  function to  avoid  any drug interactions and unwanted outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess whether appropriate dosage  adjustment  was  made  to the  medications  prescribed  in  hospitalized  patients  with  renal impairment. Methods: A  retrospective  study  was  carried  out  on the Internal  Medicine  wards  of Sunpasittiprasong Hospital. We  included 18  year-old  or  older  patients admitted  to  the  hospital with 2 eGFR  < 60  ml/min/1.73m or  experiencing  acute  kidney  injury by  AKIN  criteria from January  to December 2015. Also, each patient must have received at least one drug that requires renal dosage adjustment. Potentially  inappropriate  renal  dosage adjustment  was  reported  by  using  descriptive statistic, frequency and percentage. Results: Our study identified 674 of 2326 drugs (29.0%) from a total of 236 patients in whom dosage adjustment was required. 173 (25.7%) items were not renally adjusted, such as acyclovir gabapentin and tenofovir. 486 (72.1%) items were adjusted appropriately and 15 (2.2%) items  were  found  to  have  potentially inappropriate  dosage  adjustment, including cefdinir  100%,  cefazolin  and imipenem  each 20% when compared  to  their  prescribing  rate. Conclusion: Despite laboratory results  indicating reduced kidney function,  inappropriate renal  dose adjustment  still  occurs.  In  order  to  enhance  patient  safety,  especially  in  patients  with  renal impairment, this study suggests that  promoting proper drug use  and the development of  electronic tools can assist the medical staff to provide the safest care to patients.

Article Details

Section
Pharmaceutical Practice

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