Drug intelligence & clinical pharmacy
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The frequency and nature of ethical issues faced by pharmacists have not been well documented. To address these issues a retrospective study of the potential ethical problems encountered by pharmacists in a drug information center was conducted. Of the 744 calls received over a 13-month period, 50 raised ethical issues. ⋯ These questions raised ethical issues related to confidentiality, truth telling, and pharmacists' societal obligations. Pharmacists may confront an increased number of ethical issues as more drug information centers provide consumer services. Although there is no empirical evidence regarding pharmacists' ability to deal with ethical issues, there are reasons to believe that training in medical ethics will better equip pharmacists to recognize, analyze, and resolve ethical dilemmas.
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Drug Intell Clin Pharm · Oct 1987
ReviewEffects of renal insufficiency on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of opioid analgesics.
The disposition and pharmacologic activities of morphine, meperidine, methadone, propoxyphene, dihydrocodeine, and codeine are reviewed. Dose-related toxicities of these opioid analgesics include mental obtundation, respiratory depression, and hypotension. Furthermore, convulsions have been associated with normeperidine and cardiac toxicities with norpropoxyphene. ⋯ Although the pharmacokinetics of morphine are unchanged in renal insufficiency, accumulation of active metabolites may lead to narcosis. Similar accumulation of normeperidine and norpropoxyphene, metabolites of meperidine and propoxyphene, respectively, as well as propoxyphene itself, and dihydrocodeine and codeine may explain reports of adverse reactions in patients with impaired renal function. A high index of suspicion of opioid-induced toxicities should be maintained in patients who have renal dysfunction and receive opioids.
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Drug Intell Clin Pharm · Mar 1987
Case ReportsPhenytoin and phenobarbital protein binding alterations in a uremic burn patient.
A case is reported in which dramatic decreases in the protein binding of phenytoin and phenobarbital were noted. A 57-year-old burn patient with a history of a seizure disorder had increased free fractions of phenytoin and phenobarbital. ⋯ In the case described here, the presence of both hypoalbuminemia and uremia were necessary before a doubling of the free fraction of phenobarbital was noted. Although it is not a highly protein-bound drug, in some circumstances protein binding alterations of phenobarbital may be of clinical significance.
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Drug Intell Clin Pharm · Feb 1987
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialCimetidine versus ranitidine: single-dose, oral regimen for reducing gastric acidity and volume in ambulatory surgery patients.
This placebo-controlled trial compared the efficacy of single oral doses of cimetidine or ranitidine in maintaining intragastric pH and volume greater than 2.5 and less than 25 ml, respectively, in ambulatory surgery patients requiring general anesthesia. Patients were randomized to receive either placebo, ranitidine HCl 150 mg, or cimetidine HCl 400 mg upon rising on the morning of surgery. At induction, the cimetidine and ranitidine groups had significantly higher (p less than 0.05) gastric pH values than the placebo group. ⋯ All placebo-treated patients were at risk for aspiration pneumonitis. We did not find subjective clinical evidence of aspiration pneumonitis in our patients. We conclude that both ranitidine and cimetidine are superior to placebo, but ranitidine may be the preferred agent because of its more consistent effect on gastric pH and volume.
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Alfentanil is a tetrazole derivative of fentanyl. Many of the pharmacologic effects of alfentanil are similar to those of fentanyl and sufentanil, but of quicker onset than those of fentanyl and of shorter duration than those of fentanyl and sufentanil. Alfentanil may cause less intense respiratory depression than equianalgesic doses of fentanyl. ⋯ Clinical trials indicate alfentanil can be used effectively as an analgesic, an analgesic supplement to anesthesia, an anesthetic induction agent, and as the major component of a general anesthetic. Its short duration of effect makes it attractive as an analgesic supplement for short ambulatory surgical procedures. Alfentanil is recommended for addition to drug formularies, but its use should be restricted to anesthesia personnel.