2015 Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers' National Poison Data System (NPDS): 33rd Annual Report.

Introduction: This is the 33rd Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers' (AAPCC) National Poison Data System (NPDS). As of 1 January 2015, 55 of the nation's poison centers (PCs) uploaded case data automatically to NPDS. The upload interval was 9.

Naloxone Triggering the RRT: A Human Antidote?

Objectives: At our institution, we observed an increase in opioid-related adverse events after instituting a new pain treatment protocol. To prevent this, we programmed the Omnicell drug dispensing system to page the RRT whenever naloxone was withdrawn on the general wards.

Methods: Retrospective review of a prospectively collected database with a before and after design.

Evaluation of appropriate serologic testing for suspected heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.

Purpose: The predictive value of clinical "4-T's" scoring in patient selection for serologic testing to confirm suspected heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) was evaluated.

Methods: In a chart review-based study at a large hospital, all adult inpatients who underwent enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) testing for HIT-antibody detection during a two-year period were identified. Scoring of the 4 T's (degree of thrombocytopenia, timing of symptom onset, presence of thrombosis or other sequelae, and other potential causes) was retrospectively performed on a random sample of cases (n = 70) by three pharmacist investigators.

Pharmacists' impact on improving outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate a diabetes education program that includes a pharmacist as a member of the diabetes management team by assessing the change in hemoglobin A1c (A1C), cholesterol, and blood pressure for patients with type 2 diabetes in outpatient clinics.

Methods: This was a retrospective study in outpatient clinics at Shands Jacksonville Medical Center. The patients were assigned into either the pharmacist group or the nonpharmacist group, according to the presence or the absence of a pharmacist in the clinic.

Limb-length discrepancy as a cause of plantar fasciitis.

Background: Anisomelia, or limb-length discrepancy, has disruptive effects on gait, posture, and ambulation. Limb-length discrepancy has been shown to be a factor in stress fractures in the femur and tibia, and the longer limb, a contributing factor in the development of low-back pain, a cause of scoliosis. We sought to determine whether limb-length discrepancy contributes to the frequency and severity of plantar fasciitis.

Creating a personalized professional practice framework for nursing.

Any organization on the journey to nursing excellence might initiate its search for a professional practice framework by exploring the many nursing-specific theories, frameworks, and conceptual models that are readily available in the literature. Although adopting an "off the shelf" professional practice framework for nursing may sound easier for a nursing organization than creating its own framework, achieving a good fit into an existing culture is more difficult when adopting rather than creating a practice framework. ven though creating a customized framework requires a considerable amount of upfront time, dedication, and a willingness to make some mistakes along the way, in the end a customized framework ensures cultural alignment.

Successful implementation of a family and patient activated rapid response team in an adult level 1 trauma center.

Background: When cardiac arrests occur in hospitalized patients, delays in treatment are associated with lower survival and poorer outcomes. Patients often show a physiological deterioration hours before cardiac or pulmonary arrest. As a result, many hospitals have implemented a rapid response team (RRT) as part of their involvement in the 100,000 Lives Campaign sponsored by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.

Pharmacy resident project publication rates and study designs from 1981, 1991, and 2001.

Purpose: The publication rates and characteristics of residency projects presented at the Southeastern Residency Conference (SERC) in 1981, 1991, and 2001 are described.

Methods: SERC abstracts from 1981, 1991, and 2001 were searched in MEDLINE and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts with a time limit of six years after the conference. All potential positive publications were reviewed and validated by a second investigator.

Tacrolimus: review of pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacogenetics to facilitate practitioners' understanding and offer strategies for educating patients and promoting adherence.

Kidney transplantation requires lifelong immunosuppression with agents that prevent allograft rejection. Immunosuppressive regimens typically include a steroid, an immune modulator (eg, azathioprine, mycophenolate mofetil, or mycophenolate sodium), and a calcineurin inhibitor, either cyclosporine or tacrolimus. Tacrolimus is metabolized by cytochrome P450 3A4 in both the liver and small intestine.

Fatal knee dislocation in a morbidly obese Jehovah's Witness. A case report.

We describe a case of a morbidly obese Jehovah's Witness who sustained a popliteal artery and vein transection after a spontaneous knee dislocation. Following surgical repair, the patient fatally deteriorated, while blood products had to be withheld according to the patient's preoperative request.

Update on the treatment of tuberculosis.

Approximately one third of the world's population, including more than 11 million persons in the United States, is latently infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Although most cases of tuberculosis in the United States occur in foreign-born persons from endemic countries, the prevalence is generally greater in economically disadvantaged populations and in persons with immunosuppressive conditions. Delays in detection and treatment allow for greater transmission of the infection.

Novel opioid antagonists for opioid-induced bowel dysfunction and postoperative ileus.

Methylnaltrexone and alvimopan are two new and potentially useful agents in the management of opioid-induced bowel dysfunction and prevention of postoperative ileus. Both agents have promising prokinetic properties and appear to be capable of reversing the effects of opioids on delayed gastrointestinal transit. This article reviews currently available published literature to provide an overview of the clinical trials and to provide insight for the potential use of these agents for patients requiring opioid based analgesia.

Comparison of beractant and calfactant in a neonatal intensive care unit.

Purpose: The relative efficacy, complications and cost of beractant and calfactant were studied.

Methods: All patients admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit between January and November 2001 with an estimated gestational age (EGA) of < or = 29 weeks were included in this retrospective study. Neonates with an EGA of > 29 weeks who required surfactant treatment because of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) were also enrolled.

One hundred consecutive living kidney donors: modern issues and outcomes.

In order to define current issues and outcomes of living kidney donation, 100 consecutive living donors operated on between July 1996 and March 2001 were evaluated. The 64 women and 36 men ranged in age from 19 to 72 yr (mean 42.5 yr), and 65 were related to the recipient while 35 were unrelated donors.