Background Behavioural disturbances such as agitation are common following traumatic brain injury and can interfere with treatments, cause self‐harm and delay rehabilitation. As there is a lack of evidence on the optimal approach to manage agitation in recovering TBI patients, various pharmacological agents are used including antipsychotics, anticonvulsants and sedative agents. Among sedatives, the safety and efficacy of dexmedetomidine to control agitation in traumatic brain injury patients is not well documented. Objective To describe the safety, use and efficacy of dexmedetomidine for the management of agitation following traumatic brain injury in the intensive care unit. Methods Medical records of all patients admitted to the intensive care unit of the Hôpital Sacré‐Coeur de Montréal for a traumatic brain injury who received dexmedetomidine for agitation between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2017 were reviewed. Patients who received dexmedetomidine for indications other than agitation were excluded. Data on dexmedetomidine prescription practices and safety were extracted. Frequency of agitation and concomitant psychoactive medication use was explored over a period starting two days prior to the initiation of dexmedetomidine to six days after or discontinuation, whichever came first. Results We identified 41 patients in whom dexmedetomidine was initiated. Dexmedetomidine was started on median ICU day 3 (25th‐75th percentiles: 2–7) and had a median treatment duration of 3 days (25th‐75th percentiles: 3–6) and a mean average rate of 0.62 mcg/kg/h (SD 0.25). Although hypotension (76%) and bradycardia (54%) were common, only one patient required intervention. The proportion of patients with at least one episode of agitation decreased from 100% on day 0, to 88%, 69% and 63% on days 1, 2 and 3 of dexmedetomidine, respectively. The decrease was statistically significant difference between days 0 and 2 as well as between days 0 and 3. Concomitant use of propofol and benzodiazepines also decreased over the course of dexmedetomidine treatment. Conclusion Dexmedetomidine use was safe and associated with a reduction in agitation in traumatic brain injury patients in the 96 hours following its initiation.
<p><strong>ABSTRACT</strong></p><p><strong>Background:</strong> Drug shortages represent a complex global problem affect-ing patients and health care professionals on a daily basis. <br /><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Objectives:</strong> To identify, describe, and compare drug shortages in health care facilities in Canada and 4 European countries in early 2018.<br /><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Methods:</strong> A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 1 hospital in each of 5 countries: Canada, France, Belgium, Spain, and Switzerland. Over a 4-week period, shortage data were collected daily by each hospital using a standardized grid and a standard process. <br /><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Results:</strong> From January 8 to February 2, 2018, there were a total of 84 shortages (median duration 32 days) in the Canadian hospital, 62 shortages (median duration 9 days) in the French hospital, 46 shortages (median duration 37 days) in the Belgian hospital, 28 shortages (median duration 25 days) in the Spanish hospital, and 98 shortages (median duration 68 days) in the Swiss hospital. The number of manufacturers implicated in the shortages was 28 for the Canadian hospital, 30 for the French hospital, 19 for the Belgian hospital, 16 for the Spanish hospital, and 42 for the Swiss hospital. Most of the shortages involved parenteral drugs, with both innovative and generic manufacturers being affected. Most therapeutic classes were affected by shortages to some extent, with the top 3 classes being anti-infective agents (accounting for 21.1% of shortages overall), central nervous system drugs (11.3%), and cardio-vascular drugs (8.2%).<br /><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> Drug shortages occurred almost daily in all of the study hospitals. Across the 5 hospitals, the frequency of shortages varied by a factor of 3, which may imply similar variability at the national level. All stakeholders should work more diligently to prevent and manage drug shortages.</p><p><strong>RÉSUMÉ</strong></p><p><strong>Contexte :</strong> Les pénuries de médicaments représentent un problème mondial complexe qui touche quotidiennement les patients et les professionnels de la santé.</p><p><strong>Objectifs :</strong> Recenser, décrire et comparer les pénuries de médicaments ayant eu lieu au début de 2018 dans des établissements de soins de santé du Canada et de quatre pays d’Europe.</p><p><strong>Méthodes :</strong> Une étude descriptive et transversale a été menée dans un hôpital de chacun des cinq pays suivants : le Canada, la France, la Belgique, l’Espagne et la Suisse. Sur une période de quatre semaines, chaque hôpital a recueilli quotidiennement les données sur les pénuries à l’aide d’une grille et d’un processus normalisés. <br />Résultats : Pour la période allant du 8 janvier au 2 février 2018, on a recensé 84 pénuries (durée médiane de 32 jours) dans l’hôpital canadien, 62 pénuries (durée médiane de 9 jours) dans l’hôpital français, 46 pénuries (durée médiane de 37 jours) dans l’hôpital belge, 28 pénuries (durée médiane de 25 jours) dans l’hôpital espagnol et 98 pénuries (durée médiane de 68 jours) dans l’hôpital suisse. Vingt-huit (28) fabricants étaient impliqués dans les cas de pénuries dans l’hôpital canadien, 30 dans l’hôpital français, 19 dans l’hôpital belge, 16 dans l’hôpital espagnol et 42 dans l’hôpital suisse. La plupart des pénuries touchaient les médicaments parentéraux et mettaient en cause tant les fabricants de médicaments novateurs que ceux de médicaments génériques. Les pénuries ont affecté d’une manière ou d’une autre la plupart des classes de médicaments , mais les trois classes les plus touchées étaient les agents anti-infectieux (21,1 %) les médicaments agissant sur le système nerveux central (11,3 %) et les agents cardiovasculaires (8,2 %).</p><p><strong>Conclusions :</strong> Des pénuries survenaient presque quotidiennement dans chaque hôpital de l’étude. Dans l’ensemble des hôpitaux, la fréquence des pénuries variait selon un facteur de trois, ce qui pourrait se traduire par une variabilité semblable à l’échelle nationale. Toutes les parties prenantes doivent travailler avec plus d’ardeur à la prévention et à la gestion des pénuries de médicaments.</p><p> </p>
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.