This study aimed to describe the occurrence and to evaluate the predictive factors of thrombocytopenia caused by parenteral linezolid in hospitalised patients without haemato-oncologic diseases. Using electronic medical records, a retrospective safety evaluation was performed among all hospitalised adult patients who received parenteral linezolid therapy between January 2005 and June 2016. Of all identified 264 patients with an average age of 63.4 (SD 15.8) years, thrombocytopenia occurred at a rate of 29.2% after an average of 11.2 (SD 7.4) days of the initiation of linezolid therapy. Significant predictive factors for thrombocytopenia included the duration of linezolid therapy longer than or equal to 7 days (adjusted odds ratios [ORs] 7.25, 19.51 and 28.80; 95% confidence intervals [CIs] 1.92-27.38, 4.76-79.95 and 6.48-127.92 for 7-13 days, 14-20 days and ≥21 days, respectively; P < 0.01 for all values), baseline platelet count <150 × 10 /mm (adjusted OR, 5.08; 95% CI, 2.06-12.55; P < 0.001), creatinine clearance <30 mL/min (adjusted OR, 4.19; 95% CI, 1.59-11.06; P = 0.004) and concurrent low-dose aspirin therapy (adjusted OR, 2.99; 95% CI, 1.26-7.08; P = 0.013). Baseline platelet count less than 150 × 10 /mm was an independent predictor of early-onset (≤6 days) thrombocytopenia (adjusted OR, 5.07; 95% CI, 1.46-17.58; P = 0.011). Closer monitoring of platelet count is required in patients who receive parenteral linezolid therapy for 7 days or more, and have low baseline platelet counts or impaired renal function.

Background: Interest in pharmacist participation in the multidisciplinary intensive care team is increasing. However, studies examining pharmacist interventions in the medical intensive care unit (MICU) are limited in Korea. The aim of this study was to describe the current status of pharmacist interventions and to identify common pharmacologic problems requiring pharmacist intervention in the MICU. Methods: Between September 2013 and August 2014, a retrospective, observational study was conducted in the 22-bed MICU at a university hospital. Data were obtained from two trained pharmacists who participated in MICU rounds three times a week. In addition to patient characteristics, data on the cause, type, related drug, and acceptance rate of interventions were collected. Results: In 340 patients, a total of 1211 pharmacologic interventions were performed. The majority of pharmacologic interventions were suggested by pharmacists at multidisciplinary rounds in the MICU. The most common pharmacologic interventions were adjustment of dosage and administration (n = 328, 26.0%), followed by parenteral/enteral nutritional support (n = 228, 18.1%), the provision of drug information (n = 228, 18.1%), and advice regarding pharmacokinetics (n = 118, 9.3%). Antimicrobial agents (n = 516, 42.6%) were the most frequent type of drug associated with pharmacist interventions. The acceptance rate of interventions was 84.1% with most accepted by physicians within 24 hours (n = 602, 92.8%). Conclusions: Medication and nutritional problems are frequently encountered pharmacotherapeutic problems in the MICU. Pharmacist interventions play an important role in the management of these problems.

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Although specialized pharmacists have been suggested to be essential members of antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs), not all hospitals in Korea operate ASPs with pharmacists involved. We aimed to evaluate the association of involvement of clinical pharmacists as team members of multidisciplinary ASPs with the incidence of antimicrobial-related adverse drug events (ADEs). Five tertiary teaching hospitals participated in this retrospective cohort study. At each participating hospital, we randomly selected 1000 participants among patients who had received systemic antimicrobial agents for more than one day during the first quarter of 2017. We investigated five categories of antimicrobial-related ADEs: allergic reactions, hematologic toxicity, nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, and antimicrobial-related diarrhea. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the potential impact of pharmacist involvement in ASPs on the incidence of ADEs. A total of 1195 antimicrobial-related ADEs occurred in 618 (12.4%) of the 4995 patients included in the analysis. The overall rate of ADE occurrence was 17.4 per 1000 patient days. Hospitals operating ASPs with pharmacists showed significantly lower AE incidence proportions than other hospitals (8.9% vs. 14.7%; p < 0.001). Multidisciplinary ASPs that included clinical pharmacists reduced the risk of antimicrobial-related ADEs by 38% (adjusted odds ratio 0.62; 95% confidence interval 0.50–0.77). Our results suggest that the active involvement of clinical pharmacists in multidisciplinary ASPs may contribute to reduce the incidence of antimicrobial-related ADEs in hospitalized patients.

Background: Although nilotinib hepatotoxicity can cause severe clinical conditions and may alter treatment plans, risk factors affecting nilotinib-induced hepatotoxicity have not been investigated. This study aimed to elucidate the factors affecting nilotinib-induced hepatotoxicity. Methods: This retrospective cohort study was performed on patients using nilotinib from July of 2015 to June of 2020. We estimated the odds ratio and adjusted odds ratio from univariate and multivariate analyses, respectively. Several machine learning models were developed to predict risk factors of hepatotoxicity occurrence. The area under the curve (AUC) was analyzed to assess clinical performance. Results: Among 353 patients, the rate of patients with grade I or higher hepatotoxicity after nilotinib administration was 40.8%. Male patients and patients who received nilotinib at a dose of ≥300 mg had a 2.3-fold and a 3.5-fold increased risk for hepatotoxicity compared to female patients and compared with those who received <300 mg, respectively. H2 blocker use decreased hepatotoxicity by 11.6-fold. The area under the curve (AUC) values of machine learning methods ranged between 0.61–0.65 in this study. Conclusion: This study suggests that the use of H2 blockers was a reduced risk of nilotinib-induced hepatotoxicity, whereas male gender and a high dose were associated with increased hepatotoxicity.