Procalcitonin-Guided Antibiotic Prescribing for Acute Exacerbations of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in the Emergency Department.

Purpose: Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) can be caused by viral, bacterial, or environmental factors. Recent studies have suggested that procalcitonin serum levels may help reduce unnecessary antibiotic use without statistically significant differences in rates of treatment failure for AECOPD. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to create a procalcitonin-based algorithm to aid emergency department (ED) clinicians in the management of patients with AECOPD who do not require hospitalization and to evaluate its efficacy and practicality.

Pharmacokinetic evaluation of ambrisentan.

Introduction: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a life-threatening and progressive disease characterized by increasing pulmonary vascular resistance leading to right ventricular failure and premature death. Current therapies target three major pathways involving endothelin, prostacyclin and NO. Ambrisentan is an oral, once daily, selective endothelin receptor antagonist.

Analysis of drug content and weight uniformity for half-tablets of 6 commonly split medications.

Background: Cost savings can be achieved with the practice of tablet splitting. Previous research has shown weight nonuniformity within tablet halves. However, limited research to date has found that the potential dose inaccuracy resulting from splitting tablets does not significantly affect clinical outcomes.