Platelet Reactivity Testing for Aspirin Patients Who Sustain Traumatic Intracranial Hemorrhage.

Background: Patients who take aspirin and sustain traumatic intracranial hemorrhage (tICH) are often transfused platelets in an effort to prevent bleeding progression. The efficacy of platelet transfusion is questionable, however, and some medical societies recommend that platelet reactivity testing (PRT) should guide transfusion decisions. The study hypothesis was that utilization of PRT to guide platelet transfusion for tICH patients suspected of taking aspirin would safely identify patients who did not require platelet transfusion.

Not all head injured patients on antiplatelet drugs need platelets: Integrating platelet reactivity testing into platelet transfusion guidelines.

Introduction: Antiplatelet medication use continues to rise in an aging population, and these agents can have a deleterious effect for patients with traumatic intracranial hemorrhage (tICH). The purpose of the current investigation is to assess the safety and efficacy of using platelet reactivity testing (PRT) to direct platelet transfusion for tICH patients.

Patients And Methods: A Level I trauma center adopted a targeted platelet transfusion guideline using PRT to determine whether platelets were inhibited by an antiplatelet medication (aspirin or P2Y12 inhibitors).

A multiyear analysis of team-based learning in a pharmacotherapeutics course.

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of team-based learning (TBL) in a pharmacotherapeutics course on pharmacy students' ratings of faculty instructors and the course, and to assess students' performance after implementation of team-taught TBL.

Design: Teaching methodology in a pharmacotherapeutics course was changed from a lecture with recitation approach in 2 semesters of a 6 credit-hour course to a TBL framework in a 3-semester 3+4+5 credit hour course. The distribution of faculty of instruction was changed from 4 faculty members per week to 1 faculty per 1-credit-hour module.

A faculty-led mock residency interview exercise for fourth-year doctor of pharmacy students.

Purpose: To determine whether a faculty-led mock-interview activity enhanced pharmacy student preparation for the residency interview process and increased match rates.

Methods: Twenty-eight doctor of pharmacy students volunteered for a 40-minute mock-interview session with 2-person faculty teams. A standard roster of 12 interview questions was derived from published literature and the faculty members' experience.

Knowledge and attitudes of American pharmacists concerning sulfonamide allergy cross-reactivity.

Objective: Pharmacists are commonly confronted with patients with a history of sulfonamide allergy. Basic immunologic and clinical data suggest a low likelihood of a patient with a history of sulfonamide hypersensitivity developing an allergic reaction to a non-antimicrobial sulfonamide drug. We conducted a survey to describe the knowledge and attitudes of licensed pharmacists concerning sulfonamide allergy cross-reactivity.

Intensive insulin therapy in critical care settings.

Hyperglycemia in hospitalized patients has been shown to increase both morbidity and mortality, regardless of the presence of preexisting diabetes. In order to achieve recommended glycemic goals, many patients require the use of intravenous insulin therapy in the critical care setting. Following the publication of a landmark trial evaluating the benefits of intensive insulin therapy in critically ill patients, a worldwide increased effort to achieve strict glycemic control has ensued.