Medication Reconciliation and Medication Safety are two themes emphasized in a variety of healthcare organizations. As a result, health care facilities have established methods for obtaining a patient's medication history. However, these methods may vary among institutions or even among the health care professionals in a single institution, and studies have shown that patients are reluctant to disclose their complementary and alternative medicine use to any health care professional. This lack of disclosure is important in surgical patients because of potential herbal interactions with medications and drugs used during the surgical procedure; and the potential for adverse reactions including effects on coagulation, blood pressure, sedation, electrolytes or diuresis. Therefore, the objectives of this study are to identify patterns of natural product use, to identify potential complications among patients scheduled for surgery, to improve existing medication reconciliation efforts, and to develop discontinuation guidelines for the use of these products prior to surgery.
1 August 2015 in Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology
The determinant attribute approach is a research method commonly used in marketing to identify the wants of various consumer groups. The objective of this study was to determine the value of using the determinant attribute approach to evaluate patient pharmacy selection choice when filling a prescription. The cross-sectional study involved single administration of a self-administered questionnaire to patients affiliated with a southern university. The results of the study showed that 110 patients perceived pharmacist competence, pharmacy setup, convenience, customer service, and friendliness of staff to be determinant of patients' selection of a pharmacy when having a prescription filled.
Background: Carfilzomib, a second-generation proteasome inhibitor, is widely used in multiple myeloma (MM) treatment but has been associated with cardiovascular adverse events (CVAEs). Real-world data evaluating the incidence and risk factors are limited. Methods: We conducted a multicenter retrospective cohort study of 385 adult MM patients treated with carfilzomib between January 2020 and August 2024 at three U.S. institutions. The primary objective of this study was to determine the incidence of carfilzomib-associated CVAEs. The secondary objectives included the identification of risk factors, characterization of cardiovascular events, and time-to-onset analysis. Results: Carfilzomib-associated CVAEs occurred in 25 patients (6.5%). The median time to event was 114 days. Heart failure was the most common manifestation (86%), followed by arrhythmias (32%) and acute coronary syndromes (8%). Patients with baseline heart failure had a significantly increased risk of CVAEs (HR 1.61, p = 0.042), whereas arrhythmias showed a trend toward significance. Traditional cardiovascular risk factors were not independently associated with an increased risk. CVAEs were associated with numerically inferior overall survival (45.7 vs. 97.3 months; HR 1.316, 95% CI 0.728–2.377, p = 0.361). Partial recovery of the left ventricular ejection fraction was observed following treatment discontinuation. Conclusion: Carfilzomib-associated CVAEs were infrequent but clinically meaningful in this multicenter cohort. These findings support consideration of a risk-adapted cardio-oncology approach, particularly in patients with pre-existing cardiac dysfunction, where closer surveillance and early intervention may help mitigate clinically significant cardiotoxicity.