Tacrolimus Monitoring in Liver Transplant Recipients, Posttransplant Cholestasis: A Comparative Between 2 Commercial Immunoassays and a Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method.

Background: Cholestasis commonly occurs after orthotopic liver transplantation. It can be extrahepatic because of mechanical obstruction or intrahepatic because of various causes. During cholestasis episodes, blood concentrations of tacrolimus (TAC) metabolites may increase, potentially affecting TAC concentrations measured by immunoassays.

[Unfractionned heparin wastage at a French university hospital].

Objectives: In a context of heparin shortage, we studied the wasted quantities in three intensive care units (ICU) of a university hospital where two electric syringe pump (ESP) heparin protocols coexist (20,000UI/48mL used in the cardiology ICU and 25,000UI/50mL use in the medical and surgical ICUs).

Method: We performed a prospective observational study of patients treated with heparin ESP. We collected the information recorded in the prescription software connected to the ESP (dosage, start time, infusion rate, interruption times, date and time of end of treatment).

[Inability of hospital computerised physician order entry systems to secure the use of concentrated potassium intravenous solutions].

Objectives: To determine whether hospital computerised physician order entry (CPOE) systems contribute to securing intravenous potassium chloride (KCl) prescriptions with reference to the recommendations issued by French healthcare agencies.

Methods: We sent a questionnaire to the members of the Association pour le Digital et l'Information en Pharmacie.

Results: More than three quarters of the 84 responses received involving 23 CPOE systems indicate that it is possible to: prescribe an ampoule of concentrated potassium chloride 10% 10mL intravenously without any diluents (80%); prescribe 4g of KCl in a bag of 500mL of NaCl 0,9% (98%); prescribe a solution that contains 6 grams of KCl per liter (94%); prescribe the administration of an injectable ampoule orally by means of a free text comment (83%).

[Nurses and prescribers' choice of an electric syringe pump protocol for intravenous heparin administration].

Objectives: Several protocols for administering heparin by electric syringe pump can coexist within the same hospital. This puts patients at risk of medication errors. In our hospital trust, two preparation protocols coexist (20000UI/48mL and 25000UI/50mL).