American journal of hospital pharmacy
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The compatibility of ketorolac tromethamine injection with commonly used i.v. infusion solutions and administration set components was evaluated. The infusion solutions tested were 0.9% sodium chloride injection, 5% dextrose injection, 0.9% sodium chloride and 5% dextrose injection, Plasma-Lyte A pH 7.4 injection, Ringer's injection, and lactated Ringer's injection. The ketorolac tromethamine admixture concentration studied was 30 mg/50 mL for all solutions. ⋯ No degradation of drug, formation of particulates, or adsorption to containers or infusion tubing was noted at any concentration for any of the solutions. After the solutions were mixed, the pH remained essentially unchanged. Ketorolac tromethamine injection was physically and chemically stable when mixed with a variety of commonly used infusion solutions and was not adsorbed to administration set components or to glass or polyvinyl chloride containers.
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Revisions in the quality assurance (QA) program for a drug information center (DIC) at a large community teaching hospital are described. The initial QA program, implemented in 1984, was based on 25 specific criteria and on the periodic evaluation process that was stressed by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals at that time. In 1985 the hospital was surveyed for reaccreditation, and the Joint Commission stressed a new approach to QA that replaced periodic evaluation with an ongoing, planned process. ⋯ The 10 general criteria have now been reduced to two specific criteria: the total number of questions received by the DIC staff and the percentage of responses that are appropriate. Drug information responses given by the DIC pharmacist as well as by the frontline pharmacists are monitored. As Joint Commission requirements for QA programs evolve, the QA program for this DIC is revised to ensure that it always meets the current standards.
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Stability of heroin hydrochloride in infusion devices and containers for intravenous administration.
The stability of heroin hydrochloride in various drug-administration devices was studied. Heroin hydrochloride was supplied as the bulk powder by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and in the formulated dosage form by Evans Medical, Ltd. Stability was determined at concentrations of 1 and 20 mg/mL at room temperature (23-25 degrees C) and at 4 degrees C in a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) bag, a disposable glass syringe, and two disposable infusion devices. ⋯ In the latter case, stability was for a minimum of two days. No substantial changes in physical appearance or pH were observed in any of the containers under the conditions studied. Heroin hydrochloride can be repackaged in the disposable glass syringe, PVC bag, and each of the disposable infusion devices for routine clinical use.
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The results of a national survey of critical-care pharmaceutical services are reported. A questionnaire was mailed on March 8, 1988, to 1500 of the 6800 U. S. hospitals with more than 100 beds. ⋯ There were no differences between satellite and nonsatellite ICU pharmacists in either the percentage of a typical day spent providing clinical services to critical-care patients or the percentage of critical-care patients receiving those services. Respondents expected their hospitals to add 301 full-time-equivalent critical-care pharmacists to their staffs during the next two years, for a 39% increase. Respondents strongly favored establishing 24-hour unit dose drug distribution and i.v. admixture services, providing inservice education to nurses and physicians, and providing written pharmacokinetic consultations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)