Analysis of dabigatran prescribing

Background Dabigatran is indicated for primary prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in adult patients undergoing surgery for total hip or knee replacement. Purpose To analyse the prescription and adaptation to the approved indications for dabigatran in a tertiary hospital. Materials and methods Retrospective observational study lasting 12 months (January 2010-December 2010) which included patients treated with dabigatran. Results During the study period, 236 interventions were made for which dabigatran treatment was suitable (94 hip and 142 knee replacements). Dabigatran was prescribed in 11 patients (9 women and 2 men), mean age 61 years (36-77): 5 for hip replacement, 2 for knee replacement, 1 for partial femoral neck fracture and 3 patients had not undergone prosthetic intervention. Dose adjustment was necessary only in two patients aged over 75 years: a 77-year-old woman treated with 110 mg/day and a 76-year-old man with 150 mg/day. Only in 63.63% of cases (n=7) did the prescription conform to the approved indications. Conclusions Despite being newly introduced to the hospital9s formulary, it is necessary to remark that one third of the prescriptions did not conform to the approved indications for use in the hospital. Therefore, it is necessary to create and disseminate standard rules for use in the medical wards. This will increase adherence to the recommendations of use, reduce prescribing errors and establish corrective actions for them.