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 · Nov 1997
Stability of thiotepa (lyophilized) in 0.9% sodium chloride injection.
The stability of thiotepa in a new formulation of the drug was studied. Vials of Thioplex (Immunex), a relatively new lyophilized formulation of thiotepa, were reconstituted with sterile water and diluted with 0.9% sodium chloride injection in polyvinyl chloride infusion bags to thiotepa concentrations of 0.5, 1, and 3 mg/mL. The solutions were stored at 8 and 25 degrees C in ambient light and analyzed at 0, 8, 24, and in most cases 48 hours for thiotepa concentration and chloro-adduct formation by stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatography. ⋯ Storage at 8 degrees C slowed but did not prevent chloro-adduct formation and loss of potency. The pH tended to increase with time; turbidity remained low. Thiotepa (lyophilized) 1 and 3 mg/mL in 0.9% sodium chloride injection was stable for 48 hours at 8 degrees C and for 24 hours at 25 degrees C; the drug was unstable when diluted to 0.5 mg/mL and stored under the same conditions.
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Am J Health Syst Pharm · Nov 1997
Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical TrialPatients' self-reported functional status after granisetron or ondansetron therapy to prevent chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting at six cancer centers.
Patient functional status after administration of either granisetron or ondansetron to prevent acute chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) was studied. Pharmacists and nurses from six cancer centers distributed Functional Living Index-Emesis (FLIE) questionnaires to 115 outpatients receiving either granisetron or ondansetron for prevention of CINV. The emetogenic potential of each patient's chemotherapy regimen was high, moderately high, or moderate. ⋯ Patients with both nausea and vomiting reported a much higher negative impact on functional status after chemotherapy than those with nausea only. The mean prechemotherapy and postchemotherapy FLIE scores were 124.2 and 110.4 for granisetron and 124.9 and 111.9 for ondansetron. Granisetron and ondansetron did not differ significantly in their effect on functional status reported by patients before and 72 hours after receiving cancer chemotherapy.
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Pharmacoeconomic data on the use of propofol in anesthesia are reviewed, with consideration of clinical characteristics that affect overall costs. Propofol is more expensive than many other anesthetics but its use can affect the costs of perioperative care as well as costs not directly related to the health care system, such as those associated with time off work. Using propofol can result in earlier discharge from the postanesthesia care unit (PACU), which can result in lower PACU costs. ⋯ Policy changes regarding criteria for discharge from the PACU may need to be implemented if the economic advantages of propofol are to be realized. Anesthesia with propofol, compared with other agents, has been associated with shorter stays in the PACU. Whether using propofol decreases the costs of care is unclear.