title: Adverse drug reactions in an emergency medical dispatching centre.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study is to assess the incidence of adverse drug reactions (ADR) leading to call an emergency medical dispatching centre.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective, observational, monocentric clinical study performed over a 2-year period (2011-2012) in a French prehospital emergency dispatching centre, the Service d'Aide Médicale Urgente (SAMU) covering 1,156,000 inhabitants. All adult patients (age≥18) who called for any cause were included. We created an electronic trigger 'iatrogenic event' implemented by the dispatching physician for each suspected case of ADR, then we completed the analyses of all the cases with a chief complain represented in more than 1% of the triggered cases. The primary outcome variable was the occurrence of any possible ADR. We then used the French method of causal relationship assessment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The SAMU dispatched 339,915 calls during the study. In total, 1,467 ADRs were identified, representing 0.95% (CI 95% 0.90-1.00%) of cases. ADRs were as serious (SADR) in 51.06% (CI 95% 48.45-53.67%) of cases. The major ADR observed was haemorrhage, (42.81% (CI 95% 40.62-45.00%), n=628) followed by allergy, hypoglycaemia, vomiting, dizziness and drowsiness. The class of drugs most frequently involved was antithrombotic (43.69% (CI 95% 41.45-45.93%), n=641), followed by insulin (17.98% (CI 95%:17.06-18.90%), n=264).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Emergency calls concerning ADRs were estimated as 9/1,000, and one out of two is serious.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Pharmacologie Médicale et Clinique, Equipe de Pharmacoépidémiologie de l'UMR INSERM 1027, Faculté de Médecine, Université Paul-Sabatier, 37, Allées Jules Guesde, 31000, Toulouse, France, dehours.e@chu-toulouse.fr.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dehours
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bounes
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bagheri
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vallé
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Ducassé
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Montastruc
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007049:Iatrogenic Disease; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013689:Telephone; D013997:Time Factors