Study on the use of drugs in patients with enteral feeding tubes.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the use of drugs in patients using Enteral Feeding Tubes (EFT) at a University Hospital in southern Brazil.


METHODS
A total of 315 medical charts of patients that had used EFT were analyzed. Variables of interest were: days the tube was used, number and frequency of drugs administered by the tube, pharmaceutical dosage forms and the number of tube exchanges per patients.


RESULTS
The mean of age of the patients was 59 years (SD = 21) and 59% were male. A mean number of drugs prescribed per patient with tube administration were five. Almost all patients (95%) used some drugs in solid pharmaceutical preparations, mostly tablets (72%). About 158 different drugs were prescribed; for 23% of these, the prescription of liquid dosage forms was possible. The chance of changing the enteral tube was greater for patients that used more than five drugs enterally (OR = 4.8, 95% CI 2.8-8.2) and that had more than 13 drug administrations per day (OR = 5.3, 95% CI 3.1-9.3).


CONCLUSIONS
This study provides evidence that patients using more drugs enterally have a greater chance of having their enteral tube exchanged. Furthermore, it suggests a lack of knowledge of the health team with regard to the appropriateness of pharmaceutical preparations for this administration.
Heineck
Isabela
I
Department of Drug Production and Control, Pharmacy Faculty, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga, 2752, 90610-000 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. isabelah@farmacia.ufrgs.br
Bueno
Denise
D
Heydrich
Joana
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004304:Dosage Forms; D004750:Enteral Nutrition / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007441:Intubation, Gastrointestinal / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055553:Prescription Drugs / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011446:Prospective Studies
D004304:Dosage Forms; D055553:Prescription Drugs