Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 7, 2025
Halogenated Agent Delivery in Porcine Model of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome via an Intensive Care Unit Type Device
Published on: September 24, 2020
Comparing Important and Well-documented Potential Drug-Drug Interactions between Emergency, Medical, and Surgical
Zeinab Hosseinpoor1, Behrooz Farzanegan2, Shadi Baniasadi3
1Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
Introduction:
Drug-drug interaction (DDI) is one of the major healthcare challenges in intensive care units (ICUs). The prevalence of DDIs and interacting drug pairs may vary between different types of ICUs. This study aimed to compare the frequency and nature of important and well-documented potential DDIs (pDDIs) in three types of ICUs.
Materials And Methods:
A prospective study was conducted in medical (M), surgical (S), and emergency (E) ICUs of a tertiary referral center for respiratory diseases. A pharmacist checked the patients' files three days in a week for 6 months. The pDDIs were identified using the Lexi-Interact database. Interactions with a severity rating of D (modify regimen) and X (avoid combination) and with a reliability rating of good and excellent were considered important and well-documented. These pDDIs were evaluated in terms of drug combinations, mechanisms of interaction, and clinical management.
Results:
One hundred eighty-nine patients admitted to MICU, SICU, and EICU were included in the study. The percentage of patients who experienced at least one important and well-documented pDDI was 18.8% in MICU, 11.1% in SICU, and 11.8% in EICU. The most common drug pairs causing important and well-documented interactions were atracurium + hydrocortisone in MICU, meropenem + valproic acid in MICU and EICU, and aspirin + warfarin in SICU.
Conclusion:
The current study shows different frequency and nature of pDDIs between three types of ICUs. We recommend conducting similar studies in other settings to develop evidence-based guidance on clinically relevant pDDIs in different types of ICUs.
How To Cite This Article:
Hosseinpoor Z, Farzanegan B, Baniasadi S. Comparing Important and Well-documented Potential Drug-Drug Interactions between Emergency, Medical, and Surgical ICUs of a Respiratory Referral Center. Indian J Crit Care Med 2022;26(5):574-578.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:17Drugs Used in Lower Respiratory Disorders: Overview
Bronchodilators, the first step of respiration enhancement, come in various forms, each with its own mechanism...
01:25Antiasthma Drugs: Inhaled Corticosteroids and Glucocorticoids
ICS work through a multifaceted mechanism of action. They suppress the inflammatory response caused by the proliferation of TH cells. They also reduce the transcription of the IL-2 gene, which is involved in the...
01:16Drugs Used in Upper Respiratory Disorders: Overview
Antihistamines (e.g., Benadryl) block histamines from binding. Histamines are chemicals released during an allergic reaction in the body. As a...
01:27Combined Effects of Drugs: Synergism
Such synergistic combinations...
01:18Additional Routes of Drug Administration
Administering drugs via inhalation allows for the direct delivery of gaseous, volatile substances or droplets to different parts of the respiratory tract. One of the advantages of the inhalation route is the rapid absorption of drugs into the circulatory system, which is possible because of the large surface area of...
01:29Acute Respiratory Failure-V
Ensure that patients are monitored continuously for their response to therapy, including changes in...