Journal of pharmacy practice
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Review Case Reports
Continuous Infusion Ampicillin for the Outpatient Management of Enterococcal Endocarditis: A Case Report and Literature Review.
Treatment of enterococcal endocarditis requires up to 6 weeks of intravenous (IV) antimicrobial therapy. When susceptible, an ampicillin-based regimen is preferred. Studies evaluating ampicillin stability utilizing high-pressure liquid chromatography have indicated enhanced stability (greater than 24 hours at room temperature), supporting outpatient administration. ⋯ Outpatient ambulatory infusion pumps allow for delivery of ampicillin via continuous infusion or pump-programmed pulse dosing. Preparation and administration in an outpatient infusion center may be a viable option to circumvent stability and delivery issues. Furthermore, 81% (34/42) of treatment days were completed outpatient, supporting that this approach may increase access to treatment and help reduce the economic burden to health care.
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To critically evaluate the published literature assessing the safety and efficacy of thrombolytic therapy for massive and submassive pulmonary embolism (PE). ⋯ Patients with massive PE should receive thrombolytics when no major contraindications to therapy exist. Patients with submassive PE at highest risk for progression to hemodynamic instability should receive anticoagulation and be monitored for clinical deterioration. If an imminent risk of hemodynamic instability or cardiac arrest occurs, thrombolytics should be administered if no contraindications exist. Net mortality benefit and risk of bleeding must be considered when deciding to administer thrombolytic therapy in massive or submassive PE.
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Nationally, the prescription of opioids for acute and chronic pain is increasing. As opioid use continues to expand and become of increased concern for health-care practitioners, so do the adverse effects and long-term management of those effects. ⋯ However, chronic pain management often extends beyond this 12-week boundary, resulting in health-care professionals questioning the safety and efficacy of continued treatment with OIC agents. This review evaluates available literature on long-term treatment of OIC in patients with chronic noncancer pain with lubiprostone, naloxegol, and methylnaltrexone as well as preliminary results of the recently completed naldemedine long-term trial, COMPOSE-3.
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Fluid resuscitation, to restore intravascular volume and improve oxygen delivery, is a crucial step in early resuscitation efforts of patients with sepsis or septic shock. The 2016 Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines suggest the use of dynamic versus static measures of fluid responsiveness and fluid resuscitation with at least 30 mL/kg of intravenous crystalloid within the first 3 hours followed by fluid administration if hemodynamic factors continue to improve. ⋯ These studies are limited by variations in their methodologic design; therefore, cause and effect cannot yet be determined. Future multicenter, randomized, controlled studies that evaluate fluid balance and fluid volume need to be conducted to clarify the role of fluid administration to patients with sepsis to maximize benefits and minimize risk.
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To review the pharmacology, safety, and efficacy of nintedanib for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). ⋯ Nintedanib is a safe and effective treatment option for patients with IPF. Nintedanib slows IPF disease progression by reducing the rate of decline in FVC. Reductions in mortality and acute exacerbations may be present in certain subgroups of patients, but these outcomes require further research. Future studies on nintedanib are needed to explore its use in more advanced stages of IPF, its long-term safety and efficacy, its value in combination with pirfenidone or other therapies for IPF, and its cost-effectiveness in clinical practice.