Prevalence of potential drug - drug interactions in the cardiothoracic intensive care unit patients in a Chinese tertiary care teaching hospital

Background With an increasing number of reviews describing clinically significant drug-drug interactions (DDIs), the scope and severity of interactions involving commonly used drugs in cardiothoracic intensive care units (CCUs) remain unclear. This study aims to identify risk factors and determine the incidence of potential DDIs in intensive care units. Methods DDIs were identified based on the profile of the prescribed drug and classified according to the Micromedex drug interaction database. Potential risk factors associated with DDIs have been identified. Results A total of 3193 medication episodes were evaluated, and 680 DDIs (21.3%) were found. A total of 203 patients were recruited into the study, with an average of 3.4 DDIs per patient [95% confidence interval (3.2 - 3.6)]. A total of 84.2% of the patients experienced at least one DDI. Anticoagulant and antiplatelet agents were involved in 33.5% (228/680) of the potential drug - drug interactions in the CCU. Univariate analysis and multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the age of the patient and the number of medications prescribed were significantly correlated with the occurrence of DDIs. In multiple linear regression analysis, the number of DDIs had a significant correlation only with the number of prescription drugs. Conclusions A high prevalence of DDIs was observed, especially in intensive care units without pharmacist intervention and computerized drug monitoring systems, highlighting the need for active surveillance to prevent potential adverse events.