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Updated: Mar 29, 2026

Quadruple-Checkerboard: A Modification of the Three-Dimensional Checkerboard for Studying Drug Combinations
Published on: July 24, 2021
[Potential antimicrobial drug interactions in clinical practice: consequences of polypharmacy and multidrug
1Cristina Martínez-Múgica, Servicio de Farmacia, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias. Avenida de Roma s/n. 33011 Oviedo. Asturias, Spain. cmartinezmugica@gmail.com.
Background:
Polypharmacy is a growing problem nowadays, which can increase the risk of potential drug interactions, and result in a loss of effectiveness. This is particularly relevant to the anti-infective therapy, especially when infection is produced by resistant bacteria, because therapeutic options are limited and interactions can cause treatment failure.
Methods:
All antimicrobial prescriptions were retrospectively reviewed during a week in the Pharmacy Department, in order to detect potential drug-interactions and analysing their clinical significance. A total of 314 antimicrobial prescriptions from 151 patients were checked.
Results:
There was at least one potential interaction detected in 40% of patients, being more frequent and severe in those infected with multidrug-resistant microorganisms. Drugs most commonly involved were quinolones, azoles, linezolid and vancomycin.
Conclusions:
Potential drug interactions with antimicrobial agents are a frequent problem that can result in a loss of effectiveness. This is why they should be detected and avoided when possible, in order to optimize antimicrobial therapy, especially in case of multidrug resistant infections.
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