American journal of health-system pharmacy : AJHP : official journal of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
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Am J Health Syst Pharm · Feb 2003
Clinical TrialAlteration of vancomycin pharmacokinetics during cardiopulmonary bypass in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.
The alteration of vancomycin pharmacokinetics during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in patients undergoing cardiac surgery was studied. Eighteen patients were enrolled in the study. Vancomycin (1 g) was intravenously infused one to two hours before surgery. ⋯ Vancomycin's mean +/- S. D. nadir serum concentration before the next dose was 7.13 +/- 2.1 micrograms/mL. In patients undergoing cardiac surgery and treated prophylactically with a 1-g preoperative i.v. dose of vancomycin, the onset of CPB was associated with a drop in serum vancomycin concentration.
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Am J Health Syst Pharm · Feb 2003
Managing drug shortages: seven years' experience at one health system.
A health system's experience in monitoring drug shortages since 1996 within the organization and since 2001 on a national level is described. Since January 1996, the Drug Information Service (DIS) at the University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics (UUHSC) has systematically prepared written bulletins to affected practitioners when drug shortages occurred. The DIS began providing information on a national level to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists in January 2001. ⋯ The most common potential safety problems were that clinicians might be unfamiliar with the alternative agent (54%) and that the alternative's dosage requirement was different (50%). Over half of the shortages were cost neutral, but the assessment did not include substantial potential indirect costs. Detailed information on drug shortages collected by a health system's drug information service since 1996 indicated a trend toward more frequent shortages.