title: Physical stability of highly concentrated injectable drugs solutions used in intensive care units.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The intensive care department of the institution use drug solutions within higher concentration to avoid fluid overload. The purpose of the study is to prove the physical stability of different injectable drugs within high concentration (amiodarone 25mg/mL, isosorbide 0.60mg/mL, lorazepam 0.16mg/mL, noradrenalin 0.120 and 0.240mg/mL, salbutamol 0.06mg/mL and sodium valproate 12mg/mL) to ensure the patients safety.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five of 30 or 50mL polypropylene syringes were prepared for each solution under aseptic conditions and stored at room temperature. Immediately after the preparation (hour 0) and after 1, 4, 8, 24 and 48hours, 2mL of each solution were withdrawn from each syringe and placed in glass tubes to proceed to the stability test. All specimens were visually inspected in front of a black and of a white background and aliquots of each solution were centrifuged to proceed to microscopic inspection with a ten-fold magnification. The pH of each solution was measured with glass electrode pH-meter (Inolab level 1, WTW Weilhem, Germany with biotrode electrode, Hamilton, Bonaduz, Switzerland) and spectrophotometric measurements (Genesys 10 series, New-York, USA) were performed at three wavelengths (350, 410 and 550nm) to avoid the apparition of turbidity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For all the drugs included in the study, there was no significant change in pH, no color change, no turbidity or opacity and no precipitation observed in the solutions during the storage at room temperature for 48hours. No microaggregates were detected by microscope neither revealed by a change of absorbance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Within these limits, the preparations of amiodarone in 5% glucose polypropylene syringes and isosorbide, lorazepam, noradrenalin, salbutamol, valproate in 0.9% sodium chloride polypropylene syringes are physically stable at room temperature for 48hours. These results allow us to consider a study of chemical stability by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).
authors.affiliation: Medical Laboratory, CHU Dinant Godinne, UCL Namur, avenue Therasse, 1, 5530 Yvoir, Belgium. Electronic address: mclosset@live.be.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Closset
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, CHU Dinant Godinne, UCL Namur, avenue Therasse, 1, 5530 Yvoir, Belgium; Drug Stability Research Group, CHU Dinant Godinne, UCL Namur, avenue Therasse, 1, 5530 Yvoir, Belgium.
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Hecq
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, CHU Dinant Godinne, UCL Namur, avenue Therasse, 1, 5530 Yvoir, Belgium.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Soumoy
authors.affiliation: Medical Laboratory, CHU Dinant Godinne, UCL Namur, avenue Therasse, 1, 5530 Yvoir, Belgium.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Simar
authors.affiliation: Medical Laboratory, CHU Dinant Godinne, UCL Namur, avenue Therasse, 1, 5530 Yvoir, Belgium.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, CHU Dinant Godinne, UCL Namur, avenue Therasse, 1, 5530 Yvoir, Belgium.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Charlet
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, CHU Dinant Godinne, UCL Namur, avenue Therasse, 1, 5530 Yvoir, Belgium.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Declave
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, CHU Dinant Godinne, UCL Namur, avenue Therasse, 1, 5530 Yvoir, Belgium.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gillet
authors.affiliation: Medical Laboratory, CHU Dinant Godinne, UCL Namur, avenue Therasse, 1, 5530 Yvoir, Belgium; Drug Stability Research Group, CHU Dinant Godinne, UCL Namur, avenue Therasse, 1, 5530 Yvoir, Belgium.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Galanti
mesh_terms: D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004355:Drug Stability; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007267:Injections; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D019999:Pharmaceutical Solutions / Q000032:analysis*; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D013594:Syringes
chemical_list: D019999:Pharmaceutical Solutions
keywords: Drug stability; Microscope; Spectrophotometry; Spectrophotométrie; Stabilité d’injectables; pH-meter; pH-mètre