Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical/Defined Daily Dose Research Articles

Applying “Children Defined Daily Dose” to assess appropriate dose in pediatrics

Inappropriate drug dosage is a serious problem in pediatrics, mainly due to the lack of clinical evidence in children, suitable preparation formulation, and standardized methods for dose adjustment. A method for evaluating and monitoring appropriate dosage in pediatrics is urgently needed. The drug utilization index (DUI) based on the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical/Defined Daily Dose (ATC/DDD) has been widely used in the assessment of appropriate dosage in adults. We explored possible methods for assessing appropriate dosage in children. Based on our previous studies, we discuss cDUI in the assessment of appropriate dosage in children as follows: the meaning of cDDD, the establishment of a standardized system, and the classified evaluation of dosage in pediatrics. Although the definition of cDDD draws on the concept of defined daily dose (DDD), the meaning of cDDD is different from that of the latter. Specifically, the purpose of cDDD is to evaluate appropriate pediatric dose, while DDD is a unit of measurement. cDDD could be used to assess dose rationality for common and serious pediatric diseases, and would be refined over time. A single cDDD should be assigned per drug and indication and given per drug and route of administration. The influence of age, weight, diagnosis, and administration route on the dosage should be considered. Classified evaluation should be used and weight should be given to the above mentioned factors in order to evaluate the appropriate dose objectively and comprehensively. Dosage regulation in pediatrics has an important role in improving medical quality and protecting the safety, effectiveness, and economy of medical therapy in children. The establishment of a cDUI system is a good try in pediatric dosage evaluation. Although there are still defects within this proposed system and methodology, the principle seems feasible.

Padrões de utilização de antibacterianos em unidades de terapia intensiva

To know and compare the patterns of antimicrobials use in intensive care units (ICUs) based on the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical/Defined Daily Dose (ATC/DDD) system. a prospective cohort study was conducted in three medical-surgical intensive care units, two of them in public hospitals and one in a private hospital. Simple random, independent samples of patients admitted from 10/2004 to 09/2005 to the selected intensive care units were used. The antibiotics use was assessed using the ATC/DDD system. The amount of antibacterials used in each intensive care unit, in grams, was transformed in daily defined dose (DDD). The number of DDDs was divided by the number of patient-days, multiplied by one thousand, to obtain the average density of consumption (DC) per thousand patient-days (DDD1000). 1,728 patients-days and 2,918.6 DDDs were examined in the three intensive care units, corresponding to an average density of consumption of 1,689.0 DDD1000. The median number of DDDs of antibiotics use in the public hospitals’ intensive care units was significantly higher (p=0.002) versus the private hospital’s intensive care unit. The consumption of antibiotics in the private hospital’s intensive care unit (DC=2,191.7 DDD1000) was significantly higher (p<0.001) versus the intensive care units of public hospitals (1,499.5 DDD1000). The most used antibiotics groups in the three intensive care units were 3rd generation cephalosporins, penicillins/betalactamases inhibitors, carbapenems and fluorquinolones. The pattern of antibiotics use in the three examined intensive care units was not uniform. The private hospital’s intensive care unit used a significantly larger amount versus the public hospitals’ intensive care units. Nevertheless, the most used antibiotics groups were similar in the three intensive care units.

Radical cystectomy: Analysis of postoperative course

Radical cystectomy is a method of choice in the therapy of infiltrative bladder cancer. The aim of this research was to analyze postoperative course after radical cystectomy (length of hospitalization, most frequent complications and utilization of antibiotics and transfusions). We analyzed the records of 82 patients operated on in the Department of Urology, Clinical Center of Vojvodina, in a three-year period. In order to aquire data World Health Organization (WHO) has developed Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical/Defined Daily Dose (ATC/DDD) methodology. Defined daily dose (DDD) is the assumed average maintenance dose per day for a drug use for its main indication. Continent urinary derivation was preformed in 23.15% cases. Postoperative complications occurred in 18.29% of patients. Average blood utilization was 2.19 units. Blood utilization for continent derivations (n=48) was 4.6 units, and incontinent ones 3.36 units. Totally 159.33 DDD/100 bed days were used. When preforming continent derivation there is a significant increase in blood utilization. Frequency of postoperative complications correlates to those reported in the literature.

Use of defined-daily-doses per 100 bed-days for measuring consumption of antiinfectives in a pediatric hospital

The anatomical therapeutic chemical/defined daily dose (ATC/DDD) classification, using DDD/100 bed-days for hospitalized patients, [1][1] has been adopted to measure the consumption of different drugs in and among health institutions. However, the application of this method in children is not the

Use of antibacterial agents in an intensive care unit in a hospital in Brazil

It is essential to monitor the utilisation of antibacterial drugs in order to establish appropriate measures for their control. The pattern of usage of antibacterial drugs, and its association with indicators of hospital infection, has been investigated in a non-specialized adult intensive care unit (ICU) located in Santa Luzia Hospital (Brasília, DF, Brazil). The study was conducted between January 2001 and June 2004. Data concerning the utilisation of systemic antibacterial drugs, classified according to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical/Defined Daily Dose (ATC/DDD) system, and indicators of hospital infection, defined according to the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS) system, were obtained from appropriate hospital archives. During the study period, the average utilisation of antibacterial drugs was 1918.5 DDD units per 1000 patient-day (DDD(1000)). The three most used drugs were penicillins/beta-lactamase inhibitors (535.3 DDD(1000)), third generation cephalosporins (239.1 DDD(1000)) and quinolones (212.5 DDD(1000)). The total utilisation of antibacterial drugs was correlated significantly with the incidence of hospital infection (R = 0.62; p < 0.01) and the index of invasive procedures (R = 0.41; p < 0.01). Furthermore, the latter two indicators were significantly and positively correlated with the use of recently commercialized, broad spectrum antibacterial drugs (except for carbapenems). It is concluded that improved infection control procedures, together with more rigorous criteria regarding the use of invasive procedures, should be implemented by the ICU studied in order to diminish the utilisation of antibacterial drugs.

Surveillance of antibiotic use in hospitals: methods, trends and targets

A standardised antibiotic surveillance system is an essential requirement of all antibiotic control strategies. Antibiotic use can be quantified accurately using patient-level surveillance, although this is not feasible for most hospitals. Instead, population-level surveillance is a more realistic alternative for ongoing and systematic monitoring of antibiotic use. Monitoring of aggregate, ward-supply data on a monthly basis, stratification by patient care area, and analysis by the anatomical therapeutic chemical/defined daily dose (ATC/DDD) system, adjusting for bed-occupancy, provides a clear picture of antibiotic consumption density and time-trends within a hospital. When usage rates are supplemented and interpreted according to changes in hospital resource indicators, benchmarking is facilitated. This provides an efficient tool for triggering and targeting antibiotic control interventions.

Prescription-only drugs in Banja Luka region: utilization analysis

Using the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical/Defined Daily Dose (ATC/DDD) methodology, we analyzed utilization of prescription-only drugs in Banja Luka region in 2000-2001. A retrospective study on drug utilization, according to ATC classification, was conducted on the basis of data received from Central City Pharmacy Banja Luka, and results were presented in terms of DDD/1000 inhabitants/day. Pharmaco-epidemiological analysis showed that the list of 20 most frequently prescribed drugs in 2000 included 8 cardiovascular drugs and 6 anti-infective drugs. In 2001, 20 most frequently prescribed drugs, included 9 cardiovascular drugs, and 4 anti-infective drugs. Regarding anti-infective agents, the most frequently prescribed antibiotics were amoxicillin, doxycyline, co-trimoxazole and gentamicin. The most frequently prescribed drug in 2000 was diazepam (5.33 DDD/1000 inhabitants/day). The use of this drug significantly increased in 2001 (7.95 DDD/1000 inhabitants/day). Based on total analysis, it can be concluded that the positive drug list, defined by the Health Insurance Fund, significantly affected the drug utilization profile, but some drugs are considered to be irrationally prescribed.