Deadly drug interactions in emergency medicine

Emergency Department Medication Lists Are Not Accurate

“…Many patients enter the hospital system through the ED. Medication errors occurring in the ED can be associated with a range of clinical importance from inconsequential to lethal (14,15). The inaccuracy of medication histories obtained in ED triage is multifactorial: it can be influenced by illness acuity, patient knowledge or ability to communicate, complexity of medication use, illegible medication lists accompanying the patient, and a setting prone to time constraints and distractions.…”

Effects of an adverse-drug-event alert system on cost and quality outcomes in community hospitals

“…These alerts are clinically appropriate, as the patient safety problems associated with these events continue to persist and remain widespread throughout health care. [37][38][39] However, the discontinuation of inappropriate therapies or medications due to ADE-related increased LOS may partially explain the savings realized in overall pharmacy costs and variable drug costs. Further research is needed to identify additional explanations for these observed cost savings.…”

Theoretical pharmacokinetic drug alterations in pediatric celiac disease

“…Metabolism of over half of all drugs occurs through the CYP3A4 isoenzymes in the human intestinal villi [49]. A significant reduction of CYP3A was found in nine untreated adult patients with celiac disease due to flattening of villi and destruction of surface absorptive epithelium [50].…”