Table 2.
Trigger alert distribution in general ward and ICU patients.*
| Trigger alert | General ward (n = 520) | ICU (n = 350) | Total (n = 870) | p value$ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thrombocytopenia (heparin or LMWH) | 106 (20.4%) | 134 (38.2%) | 240 (27.6%) | <0.001 |
| Supratherapeutic INR (warfarin and DDI) | 87 (16.8%) | 19 (5.4%) | 106 (12.2%) | <0.001 |
| Nephrotoxicity | 50 (9.6%) | 54 (15.4%) | 104 (12.0%) | 0.011 |
| Hepatotoxicity | 36 (6.9%) | 32 (9.1%) | 68 (7.8%) | 0.248 |
| Rapid INR increase (warfarin dose change) | 55 (10.6%) | 5 (1.4%) | 60 (6.9%) | <0.001 |
| Rapid INR increase (new warfarin start) | 48 (9.2%) | 4 (1.1%) | 52 (6.0%) | <0.001 |
| Supratherapeutic phenytoin serum concentration | 29 (5.6%) | 14 (4.0%) | 43 (4.9%) | 0.340 |
| Hyperkalemia | 17 (3.3%) | 21 (6.0%) | 38 (4.4%) | 0.065 |
| Thrombocytopenia (nonspecific) | 12 (2.3%) | 26 (7.4%) | 38 (4.4%) | <0.001 |
| Hyperkalemia | 15 (2.9%) | 8 (2.3%) | 23 (2.6%) | 0.670 |
| Neutropenia | 14 (2.7%) | 1 (0.3%) | 15 (1.7%) | 0.007 |
| Metabolic acidosis (nonspecific) | 4 (0.8%) | 10 (2.8%) | 14 (1.6%) | 0.025 |
| Pancreatitis | 11 (2.1%) | 3 (0.9%) | 14 (1.6%) | 0.178 |
| Supratherapeutic digoxin serum concentration | 11 (2.1%) | 2 (0.6%) | 13 (1.5%) | 0.087 |
| Metabolic acidosis (topiramate) | 8 (1.5%) | 4 (1.1%) | 12 (1.4%) | 0.771 |
| Hypertriglyceridemia (propofol) | 1 (0.2%) | 10 (2.8%) | 11 (1.3%) | 0.007 |
| Hyponatremia | 6 (1.2%) | 1 (0.3%) | 7 (0.8%) | 0.252 |
| Positive antinuclear antibody test (i.e. lupus) | 6 (1.2%) | 1 (0.3%) | 7 (0.8%) | 0.252 |
| Metabolic acidosis (zonisamide) | 2 (0.4%) | 1 (0.3%) | 3 (0.3%) | NS |
| Thrombocytopenia (fondaparinux) | 1 (0.2%) | 1 (0.3%) | 2 (0.2%) | NS |
*
Data presented as n (%).
$
χ2 or Fisher’s exact test comparing distribution of trigger alerts between the general ward and ICU groups.
DDI, drug–drug interaction; ICU, intensive care unit; INR, international normalized ratio; LMWH, low molecular weight heparin; NS, not significant.