AB1292-HPR NUMBER OF DRUGS IN THE PRESCRIPTION, A PREDISPOSING FACTOR FOR MEDICATION ERRORS IN RHEUMATOLOGY

Background:Medication error can be defined as a failure in the treatment process that leads to or has the potential to lead to harm to the patient, this fault can happen in two different phases: prescribing and prescription.Prescribing is the process of deciding what to prescribe and naming it. Various types of faults can occur in the decision-making process: underprescribing, overprescribing, irrational, inappropriate and ineffective prescribing. All these covers one type of errors, but these are different kind of errors that those that occur in the act of writing a prescription. This leads to the distinct concepts of ‘prescribing faults’ and ‘prescription errors’A prescription is ‘a written order, which includes detailed instructions of what medicine should be given, to whom, in what formulation and dose, by what route, when, how frequently, and for how long’. Thus, a prescription error can be defined as ‘a failure in the prescription writing process that results in a wrong instruction about one or more of the normal features of a prescription’. The ‘normal features’ include the identity of the patient, the identity of the drug, the formulation and dose, and the route, timing, frequency, and duration of administration. (1)It is not record about the rate of medication errors in rheumatology consultation.Objectives:To evaluate whether there is a relationship between prescribing errors and the number of drugs in the prescription.Methods:A descriptive, observational, and retrospective study was made.It was carried out a random search of medical prescriptions, generated by the electronic records (REPAIR®) of the rheumatology consultation of the Hospital Universitario “Dr. José Eleuterio González” during 2019, in which the prescriptions that contained any error were identifiedT student test was performed to see the difference in the prescription error based on the number of medications. P <0.05 was taken as statistically significant.Results:A review of 867 medical prescriptions was performed, among which 5503 medications were indicated with an average of 6.34 medications per prescription, a total of 30 (6.9%) prescriptions were found with error, where a total of 71 (3.9%) medications had errors. In the prescriptions with medication error, all the errors were prescription type; 68 (95.7%) had a mistake in the duration of administration and 3 (4.22%) in the identity of the drug.In the prescriptions with medical errors the average number of prescription drugs was 7.50, only 2/30 (0.6%) had less than 7 indicated medications (4 and 6), meanwhile the prescriptions in which no error was found had a mean of 6.30 indicated medications. P < 0.001.Conclusion:According to the study findings, it could be established that when the number of prescribed medications is greater than 7, there is an increased risk of making a prescription error. Further studies should carry out to look for other factors that influence medical errors in rheumatology clinics.References:[1]Aronson JK. Medication errors: definitions and classification. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2009;67(6):599-604.AcknowledgmentsDisclosure of Interests:None declared

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Accuracy of Antiretroviral Prescribing in a Community Teaching Hospital: A Medication Use Evaluation

Journal of Pharmacy Practice ◽

10.1177/0897190019857842 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 089719001985784

Author(s):

Jacob Lines ◽

Paul Lewis

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Logistic Regression ◽

Medication Error ◽

Medication Errors ◽

Retrospective Chart Review ◽

The United States ◽

Error Rates ◽

Transitions Of Care ◽

Hiv Diagnosis ◽

Increased Risk

Background: Medication errors account for nearly 250 000 deaths in the United States annually, with approximately 60% of errors occurring during transitions of care. Previous studies demonstrated that almost 80% of participants with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have experienced a medication error related to their antiretroviral therapy (ART). Objective: This retrospective chart review examines propensity and type of ART-related errors and further seeks to identify risk factors associated with higher error rates. Methods: Participants were identified as hospitalized adults ≥18 years old with preexisting HIV diagnosis receiving home ART from July 2015 to June 2017. Medication error categories included delays in therapy, dosing errors, scheduling conflicts, and miscellaneous errors. Logistic regression was used to examine risk factors for medication errors. Results: Mean age was 49 years, 76.5% were men, and 72.1% used hospital-supplied medication. For the primary outcome, 60.3% (41/68) of participants had at least 1 error, with 31.3% attributed to delays in therapy. Logistic regression demonstrated multiple tablet regimens (odds ratio [OR]: 3.40, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.22-9.48, P = .019) and serum creatinine (SCr) ≥1.5 mg/dL (OR: 8.87, 95% CI: 1.07-73.45, P = .043) were predictive for risk of medication errors. Regimens with significant drug–drug interactions (eg, cobicistat-containing regimens) were not significantly associated with increased risk of medication errors. Conclusions and Relevance: ART-related medication error rates remain prevalent and exceeded 60%. Independent risk factors for medication errors include use of multiple tablet regimens and SCr ≥1.5 mg/dL.

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Analisis Faktor Perawat Dalam Pelaksanakan Keselamatan Pasien Terhadap Kejadian Medication Administration Error di Rumah Sakit

10.31219/osf.io/dxnpj ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Bintang Marsondang Rambe

Keyword(s):

Patient Safety ◽

Literature Review ◽

Medication Error ◽

Medication Errors ◽

Medication Administration ◽

Prescribing Error ◽

Medication Administration Error ◽

Administration Error

Latar Belakang Keselamatan pasien (patient safety) rumah sakit adalah suatu sistem dimana rumah sakit membuat asuhan pasien lebih aman yang meliputi assessment risiko, identifikasi dan pengelolaan hal yang berhubungan dengan risiko pasien, pelaporan dan analisis insiden, kemampuan belajar dari insiden dan tindak lanjutnya serta implementasi solusi untuk meminimalkan timbulnya risiko dan mencegah terjadinya cedera yang disebabkan oleh kesalahan akibat melaksanakan suatu tindakan atau tidak mengambil tindakan yang seharusnya diambil yang dilakukan oleh perawat (Kemenkes, 2011).Salah satu kesalahan yang dapat merugikan pasien adalah medication error. Menurut WHO (2016) medication error adalah setiap kejadian yang dapat dicegah yang menyebabkan penggunaan obat yang tidak tepat yang menyebabkan bahaya kepasien, dimana obat berada dalam kendali profesional perawatan kesehatan. proses terjadi medication error dimulai dari tahap prescribing, transcribing, dispensing,dan administration. Kesalahan peresepan (prescribing error), kesalahan penerjemahan resep (transcribing erorr), kesalahan menyiapkan dan meracik obat (dispensing erorr), dan kesalahan penyerahan obat kepada pasien (administration error). Medication error yang paling sering terjadi adalah pada fase administration / pemberian obat yang dilakukan oleh perawat.Administration error terjadi ketika pemberian obat kepada pasien tidak sesuai dengan prinsip enam benar yaitu benar obat, benar pasien, benar dosis, benar rute pemberian, benar waktu pemberian dan benar pendokumentasian. Secara global, kesalahan pemberian obat (medication errors) sampai saat ini masih menjadi isu keselamatan pasien dan kualitas pelayanan di beberapa rumah sakit (Depkes RI, 2015; AHRQ, 2015). Perawat sebagai bagian terbesar dari tenaga kesehatan di rumah sakit, mempunyai peranan dalam kejadian medication error. Perawat berkontribusi karena perawat banyak berperan dalam proses pemberian obat. Pemberian obat/ Medication Administration adalah salah satu intervensi keperawatan yang paling banyak dilakukan, dengan sekitar 5- 20% waktu perawat dialokasikan untuk kegiatan ini (Härkänen et al.,, 2019). Pemberian obat juga mencakup tugas-tugas lain, seperti menyiapkan dan memeriksa obat obatan, memantau efek obat-obatan, mengedukasi pasien tentang pengobatan, dan memperdalam pengetahuan perawat tentang obat – obatan sendiri (DrachZahavy et al., 2014 dalam Yulianti et al., 2019)Berdasarkan isu tersebut, penulis tertarik untuk melakukan literature review terkait faktor perawat dalam pelaksanakan keselamatan pasien terhadap kejadian medication administration error di Rumah Sakit.

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Infodemiological patterns in searching medication errors: relationship with risk management and shift work (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.13394 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Fabio Fabbian ◽

Emanuele Di Simone ◽

Sara Dionisi ◽

Noemi Giannetta ◽

Luigi De Gennaro ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Risk Management ◽

Shift Work ◽

Medication Errors ◽

Medical Errors ◽

World Health ◽

Noncommunicable Diseases ◽

Western World ◽

The World ◽

Google Search

BACKGROUND Western world health care systems have been trying to improve their efficiency and effectiveness in order to respond properly to the aging of the population and the epidemic of noncommunicable diseases. Errors in drugs administration is an actual important issue due to different causes. OBJECTIVE Aim of this study is to measure interest in online seeking medical errors information online related to interest in risk management and shift work. METHODS We investigated Google Trends® for popular search relating to medical errors, risk management and shift work. Relative search volumes (RSVs) were evaluated for the period November 2008-November 2018 all around the world. A comparison between RSV curves related to medical errors, risk management and shift work was carried out. Then we compared world to Italian search. RESULTS RSVs were persistently higher for risk management than for medication errors during the study period (mean RSVs 74 vs. 51%) and RSVs were stably higher for medical errors than shift work during the study period (mean RSVs 51 vs 23%). In Italy, RSVs were much lower than the rest of the world, and RSVs for medication errors during the study period were negligible. Mean RSVs for risk management and shift work were 3 and 25%, respectively. RSVs related to medication errors and clinical risk management were correlated (r=0.520, p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Google search query volumes related to medication errors, risk management and shift work are different. RSVs for risk management are higher, are correlated with medication errors, and the relationship with shift work appears to be even worse, by analyzing the entire world. In Italy such a relationship completely disappears, suggesting that it needs to be emphasized by health care authorities.

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Predictors of Success Using a mHealth Intervention in Adults with Prediabetes: Results of a Pilot Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.13706 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Nestoras Mathioudakis ◽

Estelle Everett ◽

Noora Al-Hajri ◽

Mohammed Abusamaan ◽

Clare Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pilot Study ◽

Intervention Program ◽

Area Deprivation ◽

Inverse Association ◽

Small Pilot Study ◽

Mhealth Intervention ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Metabolic Equivalent Of Task ◽

Mobile Intervention ◽

The Difference

BACKGROUND About one-third of American adults have prediabetes and are at increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Mobile health (mHealth) technologies provide a scalable approach to diabetes prevention by encouraging physical activity (PA), weight loss, and adherence to a healthy diet in large numbers of patients. OBJECTIVE To identify factors associated with improvements in PA and glycated hemoglobin (A1c) measures among prediabetic adults who received a mobile intervention program (smartphone app in combination with a digital body weight scale) in a previously completed pilot study. METHODS We conducted a post hoc analysis of a 3-month prospective, single-arm, observational study using the Sweetch™ mHealth intervention among adults with prediabetes. Change in A1C was calculated as the difference between the 3-month and baseline A1C measurements and was categorized as decrease vs. no decrease. PA was evaluated using the total minutes and metabolic equivalent of task (MET)-hours per week. Change in MET-hours/week was categorized as increase vs. no increase. Age, sex, race, education, employment status, area deprivation, smartphone usage attitudes, and PA stage of change were compared between groups by outcomes of change in A1C and change in MET-hour/week. RESULTS A total of 37 adults received the final Sweetch mobile intervention and were included in the analysis. 62% were female and 81% were white, with average age of 57 years. The median [IQR] baseline A1C was 6.0% [5.8, 6.2]. A1C measure at 3-month was decreased in 24 (65%) participants when compared to baseline A1C. There was an inverse association between average MET-hours per week and change in A1C. Among participants whose A1C decreased vs. did not decrease, the MET-hours per week in last 2 weeks of study was 18.7 (8.4) and 15.0 (7.1), respectively (P=0.19), and the change in MET-hours per week was 2.1 (7.1) and 4.1(6.1), respectively (P=0.41). There were otherwise no statistically significant differences in participant factors by A1C and PA outcomes. CONCLUSIONS In this small pilot study, Sweetch mHealth intervention achieved comparable A1C response prediabetic adults with different individual, sociodemographic and anthropometric characteristics. CLINICALTRIAL ClincialTrials.gov NCT02896010; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02896010 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6xJYxrgse)

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341 Acute effects of seltorexant, a selective orexin-2 antagonist (JNJ- 42847922), on driving after bedtime administration

SLEEP ◽

10.1093/sleep/zsab072.340 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. A136-A136

Author(s):

S Brooks ◽

R G J A Zuiker ◽

G E Jacobs ◽

I Kezic ◽

A Savitz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Postural Stability ◽

Driving Simulator ◽

Motor Vehicle ◽

Subjective Effects ◽

Driving Ability ◽

Post Dose ◽

Double Blind ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Subjective Sleepiness ◽

The Difference

Abstract Introduction Seltorexant (JNJ-42847922), a potent and selective antagonist of the human orexin-2 receptor, is being developed for the treatment of major depressive disorder. Seltorexant also has sleep-promoting properties. Investigating the effects of sleep-promoting medications on driving is important because some of these agents (e.g. GABAA receptor agonists) may be associated with increased risk of motor vehicle accidents. We evaluated the effect of seltorexant on driving after forced awakening at night, using a validated driving simulator. Methods This double-blind, placebo and active-controlled, randomized, 3-way cross-over study was conducted in 18 male and 18 female healthy subjects. All subjects received seltorexant 40 mg, zolpidem 10 mg, or placebo 15 minutes before bedtime. Eighteen subjects were awakened at 2- and 6-hours post-dose, and the other 18 at 4- and 8-hours post-dose. At those timepoints, pharmacokinetics, objective (standard deviation of the lateral position [SDLP]) and subjective effects (using Perceived Driving Quality and Effort Scales) on driving ability, postural stability and subjective sleepiness were assessed. Results For seltorexant, the SDLP difference from placebo (95% confidence interval) at 2-, 4-, 6- and 8-hours post-dose was 3.9 cm (1.26, 6.60), 0.9 cm (-1.08, 2.92), 1.1 cm (-0.42, 2.63), and 0.6 cm (-2.75, 1.55), respectively vs. 9.6 cm (6.97, 12.38), 6.6 cm (3.53, 9.60), 4.7 cm (1.46, 7.85), and 1.3cm (-1.16, 3.80), respectively for zolpidem. The difference from placebo was significant at 2-hours after taking seltorexant, while the difference from placebo was significant at 2, 4 and 6-hours after zolpidem. Subjective driving quality was decreased for both drugs at all time points and driving effort was increased up to 4-hours post-dose for both medications. Subjective sleepiness showed a significant increase compared to placebo 2- and 4-hours after administration of either drug. Postural stability was decreased up to 2-hours after administration of seltorexant, and up to 4-hours after administration of zolpidem. Conclusion Compared to zolpidem, objective effects on driving performance were more transient after seltorexant administration and largely normalized by 4–6 hours post-dose. Support (if any) This work was sponsored by Janssen R&D.

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How effective are electronic medication systems in reducing medication error rates and associated harm among hospital inpatients? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association ◽

10.1093/jamia/ocaa230 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Peter J Gates ◽

Rae-Anne Hardie ◽

Magdalena Z Raban ◽

Ling Li ◽

Johanna I Westbrook

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Medication Error ◽

Medication Errors ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Error Rates ◽

Prescribing Error ◽

Before And After ◽

Actual Harm ◽

Computer Based ◽

Wide Scale

Abstract Objective To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess: 1) changes in medication error rates and associated patient harm following electronic medication system (EMS) implementation; and 2) evidence of system-related medication errors facilitated by the use of an EMS. Materials and Methods We searched Medline, Scopus, Embase, and CINAHL for studies published between January 2005 and March 2019, comparing medication errors rates with or without assessments of related harm (actual or potential) before and after EMS implementation. EMS was defined as a computer-based system enabling the prescribing, supply, and/or administration of medicines. Study quality was assessed. Results There was substantial heterogeneity in outcomes of the 18 included studies. Only 2 were strong quality. Meta-analysis of 5 studies reporting change in actual harm post-EMS showed no reduced risk (RR: 1.22, 95% CI: 0.18–8.38, P = .8) and meta-analysis of 3 studies reporting change in administration errors found a significant reduction in error rates (RR: 0.77, 95% CI: 0.72–0.83, P = .004). Of 10 studies of prescribing error rates, 9 reported a reduction but variable denominators precluded meta-analysis. Twelve studies provided specific examples of system-related medication errors; 5 quantified their occurrence. Discussion and Conclusion Despite the wide-scale adoption of EMS in hospitals around the world, the quality of evidence about their effectiveness in medication error and associated harm reduction is variable. Some confidence can be placed in the ability of systems to reduce prescribing error rates. However, much is still unknown about mechanisms which may be most effective in improving medication safety and design features which facilitate new error risks.

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Increased risk of preeclampsia after use of paracetamol during pregnancy – causal or coincidence?

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth ◽

10.1186/s12884-020-03490-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Hetti von Hellens ◽

Leea Keski-Nisula ◽

Heidi Sahlman

Keyword(s):

Third Trimester ◽

Retrospective Case ◽

Reverse Causation ◽

Gestational Period ◽

The Third ◽

Precise Data ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Study Population ◽

The Difference ◽

Risk Of Preeclampsia

Abstract Background The maternal use of paracetamol during pregnancy has been associated with the development of preeclampsia. This study aims to clarify whether the connection is causal or whether it is due to reverse causation. Methods This study is a continuation of the retrospective case cohort study examining 2,508 pregnant women using a variety of drugs and the development of preeclampsia (1,252 women with preeclampsia and 1,256 controls). For the purposes of this study, more precise data was collected from several hospital databases of the women among this cohort who had reported taking paracetamol during pregnancy (indications, gestational period etc.); this was evaluated in association with the development of preeclampsia. Results 5.5% (100 cases and 37 controls) of all the study population (2,508) had clearly reported paracetamol use. Women with preeclampsia had used significantly more often paracetamol during pregnancy compared to controls (cases 8.0%, controls 2.9%, p < 0.001). The difference was most evident in the third trimester (after the 29th GW) and the use of paracetamol was associated with both mild and severe preeclampsia. Headache and “general pain” were the most common indications for medication among all paracetamol users. Conclusions The use of paracetamol in the third trimester of pregnancy was associated with preeclampsia. This observation indicates that association between paracetamol use and preeclampsia is probably due to reverse causation, i.e. women with preeclampsia experience more headaches due to preeclampsia symptoms since this association was not detected with the use of paracetamol in earlier stages of pregnancy.

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Prescribing Trends of Anticholinergic Drugs Between 1989 and 2017: A UK Biobank Study

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.675 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 209-209

Author(s):

Jure Mur ◽

Simon Cox ◽

Riccardo Marioni ◽

Tom Russ ◽

Graciela Muniz Terrera

Keyword(s):

Prescription Drugs ◽

Anticholinergic Drug ◽

Later Life ◽

Anticholinergic Drugs ◽

Uk Biobank ◽

Linear Estimate ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Prescribing Trends ◽

Anticholinergic Burden

Abstract Prescription drugs with anticholinergic properties are commonly prescribed and negatively impact physical performance, cognitive function, and increase the risk of falls and dementia. The prevalence of anticholinergic drugs is high in later life, when there is an increased risk of adverse drug effects. Recent, in-depth longitudinal analyses of specifically anticholinergic prescribing in Europe is lacking. Prescriptions for the UK-Biobank participants (n=222,122) were ascertained from primary care electronic patient records. We assigned anticholinergic activity to each drug by using a composite score. We used linear regression to study the association between current anticholinergic burden and time period, explore secular trends in anticholinergic use, and various demographic factors. We further explored the results in the context of different classes of prescriptions drugs. 74 distinct drugs in the sample (1.1%) had anticholinergic effects. An individual’s overall anticholinergic burden increased nonlinearly (linear estimate=0.474, quadratic estimate = 0.094, both p<2.2x10-16) between 1989 (mean=0.09, σ=0.009) and 2000 (mean=0.22, σ=0.006) and increased nonlinearly (linear estimate=0.282, quadratic estimate=0.074, both p<2.2x10-16) from 2000 to 2016 (mean=0.27, σ=0.009). The proportion of patients prescribed at least one anticholinergic drug per month increased from 6.1% to 16.7% from 1989 to 2000 and increased to 18.6% by 2016. When adjusted for sex and polypharmacy, age was negatively associated with recent cross-sectional anticholinergic burden (estimate=-0.042, p<2.2x10-16). Our results demonstrate an increase in prescribing of anticholinergic drugs over the past 30 years and indicate contemporary deprescribing of anticholinergic drugs in the later decades of life.

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62 A Retrospective Observational Study Into the Correct Administration of Rivaroxaban: Is it Being Taken with Food?

Age and Ageing ◽

10.1093/ageing/afab030.23 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 50 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. i12-i42

Author(s):

E Spurring ◽

G Donnelly

Keyword(s):

Drug Safety ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Hospital Environment ◽

Electronic Prescribing ◽

Academic Knowledge ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Swallowing Difficulties ◽

The Difference ◽

Medical Wards ◽

Hospitalised Patient

Abstract Intro In July 2019 the MHRA issued a drug safety update reminding healthcare professionals that rivaroxaban should be taken with food. This came after they received a number of thromboembolic events reported in patients prescribed rivaroxaban, thought to be linked with incorrect ingestion on an empty stomach [1]. Our aim was to establish if the healthcare professionals in our department had this knowledge and to audit our current dispensing practice to assess if our hospitalised patient cohort were being exposed to any increased risk. Methods A retrospective study was conducted using electronic data from 21 patients that were prescribed rivaroxaban across 14 medical wards. A questionnaire was used to establish the staff’s knowledge. Results Of the surveyed healthcare professionals, 79% knew that rivaroxaban should be taken with food (86% of nurses and 79% of doctors). Despite this only 17% of patients took the tablet with food. 75% of patients had rivaroxaban incorrectly dispensed over an hour post meal and 8% were uncertain due to poor documentation. Only 14% of healthcare professionals were aware that in those with swallowing difficulties, rivaroxaban can be crushed. Conclusions In our department most of the healthcare professionals had a good academic knowledge of correct rivaroxaban administration, however we have demonstrated that this is failing to correctly influence clinical practice. 75% of patients taking Rivaroxaban in hospital are being subjected to increased risk due to the hospital environment. This was found to relate to the difference in timing of the drug dispensing round in comparison to meal times. As part of the roll out of electronic prescribing in our trust, a warning now shows when both prescribing and dispensing Rivaroxaban to attempt to improve this highlighted risk. We have also highlighted this to the ward managers and at our governance meeting. Reference 1. Drug Safety Update volume 12, issue 12: July 2019: 3.

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Dialysate Calcium Levels: Do They Matter?

Blood Purification ◽

10.1159/000494584 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 47 (1-3) ◽

pp. 230-235 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Frank M. van der Sande ◽

Karlien J.A. ter Meulen ◽

Peter Kotanko ◽

Jeroen P. Kooman

Keyword(s):

Vitamin D ◽

Critical Role ◽

Essential Element ◽

Vascular Pathology ◽

Phosphate Binders ◽

Multiple Parameters ◽

Vitamin D Analogues ◽

Endocrine Disturbances ◽

Increased Risk ◽

The Difference

Background: Calcium (Ca) is an essential element that plays a critical role in many biological processes. In dialysis patients, the regulation of Ca balance is highly complex, given the absence of kidney function, endocrine disturbances and the use of drugs such as phosphate binders, vitamin D analogues, and calcimimetics. Also, the use of different dialysate Ca (DCa) baths has profound effect on Ca balance, which depends both on the difference between the Ca concentration in the bath and the serum of the patients, as on the ultrafiltration volume. Summary: The choice of DCa may have important short- and long-term consequences. While lower DCa (especially < 2.5 mEq/L) concentrations have been associated with an increased risk of sudden cardiac death in observational studies, DCa in the higher ranges (3.0 mEq/L and above) may contribute to vascular pathology. Intra-dialytic hemodynamics may also be affected by the choice of DCa. In general, lower DCa concentrations are associated with an increase, and higher DCa concentrations with a decrease in parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels. Preliminary data has suggested that a DCa of 2.75 mEq/L may help in obtaining a net zero intradialytic Ca balance in individual patients, but clinical experience is still limited. Key Message: The optimal Ca balance depends on multiple parameters including blood Ca levels, PTH and the use of phosphate binders and vitamin D analogues, as well as on the risk of hemodynamic stability and cardiac arrhythmias. Therefore, DCa prescription should be individualised. A DCa of 2.75 mEq/L may be useful adjunct for dialysis providers.

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