[Adverse drug reactions: Naranjo's and Venulet's algorithms]

Area of Science:

• Pharmacovigilance
• Clinical Pharmacy
• Internal Medicine

Background:

• Adverse drug experiences (ADEs) pose a significant challenge in hospitalized patients.
• Monitoring ADEs is crucial for patient safety and optimizing pharmacotherapy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prospectively evaluate the incidence and characteristics of ADEs in patients admitted to a respiratory unit.
• To identify the most frequent drug classes associated with ADEs and their clinical manifestations.

Main Methods:

• Prospective data collection of ADEs in a general hospital's respiratory section.
• Analysis of patient demographics, drug culprits, and symptomology.
• Utilized Naranjo's and Venulet's algorithms for causality assessment.

Main Results:

• 32 ADEs were documented, representing 14.6% of patients.
• Theophyllines, beta-mimetics, and antibiotics were the most implicated drug classes.
• Gastrointestinal (epigastralgia-nausea, 40.6%) and dermatological (18.75%) reactions were most common.
• No deaths were attributed to ADEs; only 9 cases required specific treatment.
• Naranjo's and Venulet's algorithms yielded non-comparable results.

Conclusions:

• ADEs are relatively common in respiratory inpatients, primarily linked to common respiratory medications.
• The majority of ADEs are mild and manageable, with a low rate of severe outcomes.
• Further research is needed to compare the utility of different causality assessment algorithms for ADEs.