Hospital pharmacy and emergency department availability of parenteral pyridoxine.
OBJECTIVE
Pyridoxine is a recommended antidote that should be available in emergency departments (EDs). A pediatric use of this preparation is the treatment of acute seizures secondary to pyridoxine dependency or responsiveness. Two cases of children with pyridoxine-dependent and pyridoxine-responsive seizures whose treatment was affected by the unavailability of pyridoxine in local EDs are presented. These cases prompted the development of a survey to ascertain the availability of parenteral pyridoxine in the pharmacies and EDs of both children's and general hospitals in the United States.


METHODS
A survey of 203 pharmacy directors in 100 pediatric hospitals (42 self-governing and 58 within a hospital) and 103 general hospitals was conducted. The questionnaire asked for the number of licensed beds and whether injectable pyridoxine was on the formulary and stocked by the ED.


RESULTS
The overall response rate was 73% (83% pediatric and 64% general hospitals). Injectable pyridoxine was on the formulary of 99% of pediatric hospitals and 91% of general hospitals (P = 0.044). Of those hospitals that had pyridoxine on the formulary, the availability of injectable pyridoxine in EDs was low in both pediatric (20.7%) and general hospitals (16.7%).


CONCLUSIONS
Given the number of possible uses of parenteral pyridoxine in the ED, it is suggested that there is a case for all pediatric and general hospital pharmacies to have it on the formulary and further for all EDs in these hospitals to have injectable pyridoxine available for immediate use.
Gospe
Sidney M
SM
Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Neurology, University of Washington, and Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Seattle, WA 98105, USA. sgospe@u.washington.edu
Bell
Robert M S
RM
D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006742:Hospital Bed Capacity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006769:Hospitals, General / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007263:Infusions, Parenteral; D010607:Pharmacy Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011736:Pyridoxine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D012640:Seizures / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control; D014481:United States; D014803:Vitamin B Complex / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000600:supply & distribution*
D014803:Vitamin B Complex; D011736:Pyridoxine