Study Finds Life-Threatening Risks from Medication Errors in Hospitals
Treating Pulmonary Hypertension Patients
Study reveals wrong dose and other drug administration errors can be
life-threatening; Researchers present recommendations at CHEST 2009 medical
conference to address complex medication regimen
SAN DIEGO, Nov. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pulmonary arterial hypertension
(PAH) patients using infused drugs have suffered serious injury or in some
cases died from medication errors in hospitals and other inpatient settings,
according to a peer-reviewed study by Accredo Health Group and several
university hospitals that surveyed doctors, nurses and pharmacists. The
study, which was presented at the American College of Chest Physicians' annual
meeting and will be published in the medical journal CHEST, examined
medication errors for patients infused with epoprostenol (Flolan®) and
treprostinil (Remodulin®) and provided guidelines to help reduce these risks.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a debilitating, life-threatening condition
without a cure that can lead to heart failure and lung transplants.
Epoprostenol and treprostinil inhibit the blood from clotting and also widen
blood vessels to ease blood pressure in the lungs and reduce strain on the
heart. The medications belong to a group called prostacyclins, which need to
be continuously infused into the body for pulmonary hypertension patients to
survive. The drugs are dosed in extremely small quantities and giving a
patient too much or too little can lead to patient injury or death.
"Prostacyclins are the most potent drugs used to treat PAH and have a very
narrow therapeutic window, making the proper use of medications paramount to
keep patients safe," said Mark A. Tankersley, Ph.D., director of health
outcomes solutions at Accredo Health Group, Inc. and one of the authors of the
study. "These patients are in an extremely vulnerable condition - normally in
the advanced stages of this debilitating condition. Our survey exposes the
severity of the problem but also presents some possible solutions to address
it."
An electronic survey of 97 clinicians at treating facilities found that 68
percent reported errors associated with administering prostacyclins and 28
respondents reported serious errors including nine that resulted in death. A
separate telephone survey found that 17 of 18 nurses at pulmonary arterial
hypertension centers reported serious medication errors, including three
deaths. The results showed that medication errors included providing the
wrong drug to the patient, improper dosing, incorrectly flushing the patient's
catheter line and accidental stoppage of the infusion pump.
Researchers made the following recommendations: clearer record-keeping,
clinician training, double-checking dosage factors (concentration, patient
weight, pump rate and time), color coding cassettes for different drugs,
marking line connections for drugs, proper medication storage, ensuring that
the infusion pumps are working correctly, and requiring two nurses to sign-off
on administering the medication.
PAH affects about 20,000 Americans and presently does not have a cure. One
form of pulmonary arterial hypertension has no known cause. For other
patients, it results from congenital heart disease, HIV infection, thyroid
disease, and the use of certain diet medications or street drugs. The
condition is often misdiagnosed in its early stages, but as the condition
worsens it can lead to fainting, lightheadedness during physical activity,
swelling in the legs and ankles, and bluish toned lips and skin (cyanotic).
CHEST, the official publication for the American College of Chest Physicians,
will publish the article in an upcoming issue. Researchers at Accredo Health
Group, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas,
University of California at San Diego, and University of California at San
Francisco authored the study and suggested guidelines for protocols.
For more information about this study, please visit www.medcoresearch.com.
About Accredo Health
Accredo Health Group, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Medco Health
Solutions, Inc., is one of the nation's largest specialty pharmacies dedicated
to providing an enhanced level of personalized service to patients with
chronic and complex disease. Drugs dispensed by Accredo, which are often
biotechnology drugs, frequently require special handling and clinical services
to ensure the drugs are properly administered to promote patient safety and
health.
About Medco
Medco Health Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: MHS) is pioneering the world's most
advanced pharmacy® and its clinical research and innovations are part of Medco
making medicine smarter(TM) for more than 60 million members.
With more than 20,000 employees dedicated to improving patient health and
reducing costs for a wide range of public and private sector clients, and 2008
revenue exceeding $51 billion, Medco ranks 45th on the Fortune 500 list and is
named among the world's most innovative, most admired and most trustworthy
companies.
For more information, go to http://www.medcohealth.com.
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defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These
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materially from those set forth in the statements. No forward-looking
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be evaluated together with the risks and uncertainties that affect our
business, particularly those mentioned in the Risk Factors section of the
Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Editor's note: All rights in the product names of all third-party products
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belong exclusively to their respective owners.
SOURCE Medco Health Solutions, Inc.
Ann Smith, Medco, +1-201-269-5984, Ann_Smith@medco.com; or Bill Borden, Coyne
Public Relations, +1-973-316-1665, bborden@coynepr.com
