Adverse drug reactions related to potential serious drug interactions in patients with cardiovascular diseases

Abstract

Objective: To assess the occurrence of adverse drug reactions associated with potential serious drug interactions identified in prescriptions of hospitalized patients with cardiovascular disease. Method: A documentary, quantitative, and cross-sectional research study. Between August and September 2016, ninety-nine prescriptions of patients hospitalized for more than 48 hours in the cardiology ward of a hospital in Rio de Janeiro were analyzed. Drug interactions were evaluated by Micromedex®, and adverse events were identified through trackers and analyzed by specialists using the Naranjo Algorithm, by means of descriptive statistics. Results: Eighteen potential serious interactions were detected in 22 drug pairs, mainly simvastatin x anlodipine (18%) and enoxaparin x clopidogrel (18%). Of the 18 medical records investigated, four trackers were found and three probable adverse events (16.6%) were defined due to hemorrhagic changes in patients. Conclusion: Drug interactions are likely to cause harm to the patient, which requires implementing barriers for the safety of the medication system.