Andrew J. Crannage

Efficacy of Oral Vancomycin in Preventing Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection in Patients Treated With Systemic Antimicrobial Agents

We compared rates of recurrent Clostridium difficile infection in patients receiving or not receiving oral vancomycin prophylaxis with systemic antimicrobial therapy. The incidence of C. difficile infection was significantly lower in patients receiving prophylaxis (4.2% vs 26.6% in those without prophylaxis; odds ratio, 0.12; 95% confidence interval, .04-.4; P < .001).

Evaluation of education on the appropriate use of vitamin k in warfarin reversal in adult inpatients.

Purpose Vitamin K (phytonadione) is a commonly used first-line reversal agent for vitamin K antagonist (VKA) therapy in patients presenting with a supratherapeutic international normalized ratio (INR) with or without significant bleeding or in patients with a therapeutic INR in need of surgery. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of education on the appropriate use of vitamin K for VKA reversal. Methods Data were collected on patients admitted to a community teaching hospital during February 2010 (pre-education group). These data were analyzed to determine the most common guideline deviations in vitamin K use. Following this analysis, pharmacist education took place in the form of in-service presentations; a protocol, including a guideline-based dosing table, was developed to assist pharmacists in evaluating vitamin K therapy. Data were then collected on patients admitted during February 2011 (post-education group). Results Forty patients and 47 vitamin K administrations were included in the pre-education group, and 34 patients and 49 vitamin K administrations were included in the post-education group. The number of patients with appropriate vitamin K administrations improved after pharmacist education (25% pre-education vs 55.8% post-education; P = .01). Whereas 27.6% of individual vitamin K administrations were appropriate in the pre-education group, this increased to 63.2% in the post-education group (P = .04). Conclusion Education techniques on the appropriate use of vitamin K for VKA reversal significantly improved compliance with standards of care for proper use of vitamin K. Additional education sessions are necessary to further increase compliance with standards of care and subsequently optimize patient care.

Managing the residency scramble.

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Resident Matching Program offered 1951 postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) pharmacy residency positions for the 2010–2011 residency year to 2915 participating PGY1 applicants.[1][1] After results for the match were released, 1801 applicants matched with an

Potential short-term use of oral cladribine in treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, immune-mediated disorder of the central nervous system. The clinical course of MS varies among patients. Currently, interferon (IFN) products, including IFN β-1a administered intramuscularly or subcutaneously and IFN β-1b subcutaneously, glatiramer acetate, natalizumab, and mitoxantrone are approved disease-modifying therapies for the treatment of relapsing-remitting MS. Cladribine, also known as 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine, is a synthetic adenosine deaminase-resistant purine nucleoside analog that preferentially depletes lymphocyte subpopulations. This sustained effect on lymphocytes is advantageous for patients with MS. CLARITY (CLAdRIbine Tablets Treating MS OrallY), a Phase III trial, has demonstrated that short-term oral cladribine decreases relapse rates and risk of disability progression in comparison with placebo. Cladribine was well tolerated in the study, with the most common adverse effects being headache, nausea, upper respiratory tract infections, and lymphocytopenia. An ongoing study is evaluating the efficacy and safety of the combination of oral cladribine and IFN-β products. A further ongoing study is examining the use of oral cladribine in clinically isolated syndrome and time to conversion to MS. Although the results of CLARITY are promising, the exact role of oral cladribine may be better defined with the completion of ongoing studies.

Comparison of hospital length of stay in patients treated with non–vitamin K oral anticoagulants or parenteral agents plus warfarin for venous thromboembolism:

Objectives: Existing research comparing hospital length of stay for patients treated with non–vitamin K oral anticoagulants or parenteral bridging to warfarin has been conducted primarily with the agent rivaroxaban. The objective of this study was to compare hospital length of stay between patients initiated on the non–vitamin K oral anticoagulants, apixaban or rivaroxaban, and patients initiated on parenteral anticoagulation agents plus warfarin for the treatment of venous thromboembolism. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted at an 859-bed, not-for-profit, teaching hospital. Adult patients admitted for a primary diagnosis of venous thromboembolism between 1 November 2012 and 31 August 2015 and treated with apixaban or rivaroxaban or a parenteral anticoagulant plus warfarin were included in the study. Eligible patients were identified using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes for a primary diagnosis of acute thromboses and emboli and medication administration record data. Individuals using anticoagulation therapy prior to admission, released from the emergency department, or treated with thrombectomy or fibrinolytic therapy were excluded. Results: A total of 152 patients were included in this study. Patient characteristics, including renal function, were similar between study arms. Venous thromboembolism treatment with apixaban or rivaroxaban compared to a parenteral anticoagulant plus warfarin was associated with a reduced hospital length of stay (2.63 vs 5.33 days; p < 0.05) and decreased total hospital cost adjusted to 2015 dollars (US

Thrombolytic Therapy in Wake-Up Stroke Patients.

21,694 vs US

Evaluation of N-acetylcysteine for the prevention of contrast-induced nephropathy

38,851; p = 0.013). Conclusion: These results suggest that treatment with a non–vitamin K anticoagulant may significantly reduce hospital length of stay and total hospital cost compared to a parenteral anticoagulant plus warfarin for patients admitted for venous thromboembolism.

Effect of a Rivaroxaban Patient Assistance Kit (R-PAK) for Patients Discharged With Rivaroxaban: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective The aim of the study is to review existing and ongoing trial data on wake-up stroke (WUS) patients for thrombolytic therapy. Methods A literature search was conducted in PubMed (conception–October 2016) using the terms wake-up stroke, acute ischemic stroke, wake-up thrombolysis, computed tomography imaging in wake-up stroke, and magnetic resonance imaging in wake-up stroke. Ongoing trials were found using the ClinicalTrials.gov website. Results The search yielded 61 articles in PubMed and 7 ongoing trials. After removing duplicate/irrelevant articles, 33 articles and relevant references were reviewed; of these, 6 articles and 3 ongoing trials were included. Two retrospective studies evaluating the characteristics between WUS and known-onset stroke were identified; the only significant difference between groups was the ability to receive treatment with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). One study suggested that perfusion brain imaging may be useful to identify patients that may benefit from tPA. In addition, 3 studies have evaluated WUS treatment; all used different methods to identify potential patients. Two of 3 studies showed that treatment with tPA is associated with better outcomes when controlling for baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale. No difference in safety outcomes was seen between groups for all 3 studies. Conclusions Available data suggest promising strategies to identify WUS patients who may benefit from thrombolysis. Once on-going trials are complete, there may be sufficient information to redefine tPA eligibility for previously excluded patients.

Conception of a Personalized Medication Adherence Discharge Kit for Rivaroxaban

Background Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) remains a leading cause of acute renal failure in hospitalized patients. N-Acetylcysteine has been studied previously for the prevention of CIN, resulting in mixed findings. Objective The objective of this study was to determine the impact of N-acetylcysteine on the development of CIN in order to guide its use at community, teaching hospitals. Methods Patients admitted between January 1 and December 31, 2011, receiving intravenous radiocontrast dye were included if they were compliant with two or more of the following conditions: baseline serum creatinine >1.2 mg/dL or estimated creatinine clearance <50 mL/min, age ≥75 years, diabetes mellitus, heart failure, or hypertension. The primary outcome was the difference in the proportion of patients in each group (N-acetylcysteine or no N-acetylcysteine) who developed CIN, which was defined as a ≥0.5 mg/dL increase in serum creatinine or a ≥25% increase in serum creatinine within 12–96 hours post-exposure to contrast. Results A total of 302 patients were included, 151 who received N-acetylcysteine and 151 who did not receive N-acetylcysteine. Patients who received N-acetylcysteine had significantly worse renal function at baseline than those who did not receive N-acetylcysteine (mean pre-contrast serum creatinine, 1.41 vs. 0.95 mg/dL, p<0.0001). A lower proportion of patients developing CIN was observed between those who received N-acetylcysteine and those who did not receive N-acetylcysteine (10.2% vs. 21.8%, p=0.0428). Conclusions The use of N-acetylcysteine was likely associated with a reduced incidence of CIN in patients at risk for CIN development. Based on these results, hospitals may benefit from the development of a protocol to guide the appropriate use of N-acetylcysteine.

Evaluation of the Implementation of an Anticoagulation Management Protocol at a Community Hospital

Background: The combination of poor health literacy and a complex dosing regimen/transition for rivaroxaban in venous thromboembolism (VTE) treatment may increase the likelihood of negative clinical outcomes secondary to nonadherence. Objective: The aim was to determine if a Rivaroxaban Patient Assistance Kit (R-PAK) given at hospital discharge increases proper dose transition and overall patient adherence. Methods: This prospective, randomized, controlled trial was conducted at an 859-bed academic medical center. Patients were randomized into 2 groups. In the treatment group, patients received the R-PAK with counseling at discharge, whereas patients in the control group received discharge counseling alone. In addition, patients were contacted after 21 days of therapy to assess dose transition, adherence, satisfaction, and safety. The primary outcome was percentage of patients who properly transitioned to rivaroxaban once daily on day 22. Results: Twenty-five patients were enrolled; 12 received an R-PAK, whereas 13 comprised the control group. No difference in the baseline assessment of health literacy status was noted (P = 1.00). Proper transition to daily administration on day 22 was no different between the groups (P = .891). Adherence was reported in 99.8% of R-PAK patients and 97.65% of control patients (P = .074). Side effects were rarely reported. Conclusions: The use of an R-PAK for the treatment of VTE was not associated with an improvement in transition to daily administration; however, both groups had high rates of overall adherence. Pharmacist counseling/education was provided in both groups and is an important component to include in any patient discharge, especially for medications with dose transitions.