<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><bold>Background:</bold> Drug-drug interactions are defined as modifications of the drug action that result from the simultaneous administration of another individual drug or several drugs. Nowadays, potential drug-drug interactions (DDIs) are most frequently detected and analyzed using personal digital assistant software programs (online interaction checker tools).<bold>Objective:</bold> To determine the risk factors for the emergence of all drug-drug interactions in surgical patients with particular emphasis on clinically significant interactions.<bold>Patients and methods:</bold> This was a retrospective cohort analysis of patients treated at the Surgical Clinic of the Clinical Center Kragujevac. Three interaction checkers were used to reveal drug-drug interactions: Medscape, Epocrates and Micromedex.<bold>Results:</bold> The study included total of 200 patients, aged 58.54±17.08 years. Average number of drug-drug interactions per patient was between 10.50±9.10 (Micromedex) and 18.75±17.14 (Epocrates). Number of prescribed drugs, antidepressive therapy, antiarrhythmic therapy, number of pharmacological/therapeutic subgroups (2nd level of ATC classification) prescribed, delirium or dementia, diabetes, heart failure, and number of physicians who prescribed drugs to single patient were identified as risk factors for drug-drug interactions while length of hospitalization in days and age of patient in years emerged as protective factors.<bold>Conclusion:</bold> Drug-drug interactions are relatively common in surgical patients and predisposed by factors such as number of prescribed drugs or drug group per patient, number of physicians who prescribed drugs, antidepressive therapy, antiarrhythmic therapy, presence of delirium or dementia, diabetes and heart failure. On the other hand, prolonged hospitalization and higher age are factors that reduce the risk of interactions in surgical patients.</abstract>

Background: Drug-drug interactions are defined as modifications of the drug action that result from the simultaneous administration of another individual drug or several drugs. Nowadays, potential drug-drug interactions (DDIs) are most frequently detected and analyzed using personal digital assistant software programs (online interaction checker tools).Objective: To determine the risk factors for the emergence of all drug-drug interactions in surgical patients with particular emphasis on clinically significant interactions.Patients and methods: This was a retrospective cohort analysis of patients treated at the Surgical Clinic of the Clinical Center Kragujevac. Three interaction checkers were used to reveal drug-drug interactions: Medscape, Epocrates and Micromedex.Results: The study included total of 200 patients, aged 58.54±17.08 years. Average number of drug-drug interactions per patient was between 10.50±9.10 (Micromedex) and 18.75±17.14 (Epocrates). Number of prescribed drugs, antidepressive therapy, antiarrhythmic therapy, number of pharmacological/therapeutic subgroups (2nd level of ATC classification) prescribed, delirium or dementia, diabetes, heart failure, and number of physicians who prescribed drugs to single patient were identified as risk factors for drug-drug interactions while length of hospitalization in days and age of patient in years emerged as protective factors.Conclusion: Drug-drug interactions are relatively common in surgical patients and predisposed by factors such as number of prescribed drugs or drug group per patient, number of physicians who prescribed drugs, antidepressive therapy, antiarrhythmic therapy, presence of delirium or dementia, diabetes and heart failure. On the other hand, prolonged hospitalization and higher age are factors that reduce the risk of interactions in surgical patients.

Risk Factors for the Occurrence of Potential Drug-Drug Interactions in Surgical Patients

Faculty of Medical Sciences, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology

Faculty of Medical Sciences, Department of Surgery

Experimental and Applied Biomedical Research (EABR)

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Background: Drug-drug interactions are defined as modifications of the drug action that result from the simultaneous administration of another individual drug...

Risk Factors for the Occurrence of Potential Drug-Drug Interactions in Surgical Patients

Publicado en línea: 30 dic 2021

Páginas: 213 - 223

Recibido: 18 abr 2019

Aceptado: 26 may 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sjecr-2019-0032

Palabras clave
Drug-drug interactions, Risk factors, Surgery patients, Micromedex, Epocrates, Medscape

© 2021 Milos N. Milosavljevic et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Risk Factors for the Occurrence of Potential Drug-Drug Interactions in Surgical Patients

Publicado en línea: 30 dic 2021

Páginas: 213 - 223

Recibido: 18 abr 2019

Aceptado: 26 may 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sjecr-2019-0032

Palabras claveDrug-drug interactions, Risk factors, Surgery patients, Micromedex, Epocrates, Medscape

© 2021 Milos N. Milosavljevic et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Palabras clave
Drug-drug interactions, Risk factors, Surgery patients, Micromedex, Epocrates, Medscape