Utilização de medicamentos por sonda enteral em unidade de terapia intensiva

Abstract

Incorrect prescribing and/or administration of drugs through enteral nutrition tubes characterizes a frequent problem in Enteral Nutritional Therapy. The aim of this study was to identify drug related problems administered by this way in patients submitted to enteral nutritional therapy in an intensive care unit, providing pharmaceutical assistance in order to solve these problems. Medical records of patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of a hospital on the western border of Rio Grande do Sul were evaluated during a period of 75 days. From the 66 patients hospitalized in this unit, 59.1% used enteral nutrition tubes in the period, and the nasogastric tube was the most frequently used (69.2%). From the patients in nutritional support, 71.8% used medications through enteral feeding tubes. An average of 3 drugs were prescribed per patient, identifying the prescription of 35 different drugs, most of them prescribed in solid dosage forms. Drug related problems were identified in 92.9% of the prescriptions, representing 46% of the total of prescribed drugs. The problems related to prescription represented 76% of the total drug related problems, especially the contraindication of administration by enteral feeding tubes and the prescription of an inappropriate pharmaceutical dosage form. This study highlights the importance of the pharmaceutical professional in Intensive Care Units, assisting the patient in enteral nutritional therapy.