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Objective: To compare opioid prescribing behavior of emergency medicine providers following the enactment of Connecticut Public Act (PA) 15-198 at a large academic tertiary medical center. Methods: This study is a single-center pre and postlaw retrospective cohort of ED patients discharged with opioid prescriptions. Patients discharged from January 1, 2015, to June 30, 2015, were analyzed as the prelaw cohort, and patients discharged from January 1, 2016, to June 30, 2016, were analyzed as the postlaw cohort. The primary outcome was the cumulative dose of solid dosage forms of opioids per prescription, calculated in morphine milligram equivalents (MME). Results: A total of 10,307 prescriptions included in the final analysis. A statistically significant decrease in the primary outcome was seen in the postlaw cohort compared with the prelaw cohort, respectively (75 MME [interquartile range, IQR: 60-100) vs 80 MME [IQR: 75-150]; P < .001). The postlaw cohort also saw 1289 (22.2%) fewer opioid prescriptions, primarily driven by a reduction in the number of schedule II opioids prescribed. In a posthoc analysis, the primary outcome remained statistically significant even when opioid prescriptions were only included if their prebuilt settings were unchanged between pre and postlaw cohorts, respectively (85.1%; 95.6 MME (±56.0); n = 5041 vs 86.7 MME (±39.6); n = 3713; P < .001). Conclusions: The passage of PA 15-198 was associated with a decrease in the cumulative dose of opioids per prescription of solid dosage form products. This drop was precipitated by a transition from using opioids in schedule II to opioids in schedule IV and a modest decrease in prescribed opioid quantity.

Hyperkalemia is a potentially life-threatening electrolyte abnormality that may be caused by select medications, underlying organ dysfunction, or alterations in potassium homeostasis. Treatment for this condition has remained largely unchanged since the release of sodium polystyrene sulfonate (SPS) in 1958. Despite its widespread use, the safety and efficacy of SPS remains controversial. Two novel potassium-binding resins have emerged in recent years. Patiromer was the first of these to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for the treatment of hyperkalemia in October 2015. A second potassium-binding resin, a zirconium cyclosilicate currently known as ZS-9, may provide yet another alternative to the archetypal treatment with SPS. ZS-9 is an orally administered nonabsorbed inorganic compound that selectively binds potassium ions in vivo. Two phase III multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trials have evaluated ZS-9 for the treatment of acute hyperkalemia. In this review, we discuss the pharmacology, clinical efficacy, safety, and potential place in therapy of ZS-9 for the enhanced elimination of potassium in the setting of hyperkalemia.

Insulin at a concentration of 16 units/mL is stable for 14 days, the maximum timeframe currently allowed under US Pharmacopeia rules for compounding of sterile preparations. This stability data will allow institutions to issue beyond-use dating for intravenous fluids containing concentrated insulin and used for treating beta blocker and calcium channel blocker toxicity.

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A previously healthy 86-year-old male was transported by ambulance to the trauma bay of the emergency department (ED) for profuse bleeding from the left temple. The ambulance crew raised concern that the volume and force of the bleed may suggest arterial involvement. The patient reported having applied a natural topical remedy to a mole two weeks prior at the recommendation of a naturopath. The patient described progressive blackening and swelling of the area in the days following the single application of the product. After gaining control of the bleeding in the ED, the area was found to have a raised, 2 cm eschar.