Li Siyan, Zhang Qingxia, Medication Safety Panel in China Core Group of International Network for the Rational Use of Drugs
Objective To explore the risk factors of severe medication errors (ME) of tranexamic acid injection (TXAI), and put forward prevention suggestions. Methods TXAI-related ME reports in the National Monitoring Network for Clinical Safe Medication (Monitoring Network) and medical literature databases at home and abroad were searched, and case reports of TXAI-related ME were collected; China Judgements Online and PKULAW database were searched, and TXAI-related judicial cases judged to be responsible by the hospital were collected. The retrieval time of all data was up to May 1, 2024. The severity grade, occurrence link and place, and the trigger person of TXAI-related ME reported in the Monitoring Network were retrospectively analyzed. The year of report, country of occurrence, clinical application, error content, and occurrence place of the collected severe ME cases, and the clinical characteristics of patient injury, patient outcome and the ME grading were retrospectively analyzed. Results From September 22, 2012 to May 1, 2024, the Monitoring Network received a total of 138 TXAI-related ME reports, and there was an increasing trend in the number of reports year by year. Among 138 cases of ME, 79 (57.3%) occurred in the drug dispensing and distribution link; 58 (42.0%) occurred in the prescription/doctor′s order prescribing and delivery link and mainly involved easily mixed drugs and drug overdose, of which 1 (1.7%) was a severe ME (grade E); 1 (0.7%) occurred in the drug administration link, and iodohexol was mistakenly injected as TXAI into the patient′s joint cavity. A total of 29 severe ME reports related to TXAI were collected. Of them, 24 (82.8%) were due to incorrect administration routes (22 were confused with anesthetics and 2 were confused with injection catheters, all resulting in incorrect intrathecal injections) and 5 (17.2%) were due to prescription errors (3 were overdosed, 1 was used for high-risk thrombosis patient, and 1 was treated with combination use of hemocoagulase for high-risk thrombosis patient); 23 (79.3%) occurred in the operating rooms, and 6 (20.7%) occurred in the wards. The 24 patients involved in incorrect intrathecal injections of TXAI mainly developed severe pain, neurotoxicity (status epilepticus) and/or cardiotoxicity (arrhythmia and ventricular fibrillation), of which 11 (45.8%) died and 2 (8.3%) had sequelae of limb muscle weakness. Among the 5 patients with prescription errors, 4 developed severe thrombotic disease, resulting in 2 deaths and 2 cerebrovascular-related sequelae, and the other one developed palpitation, shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting. Among the 29-severe ME cases, 2 (6.9%) were grade E, 3 (10.3%) were grade F, 4 (13.8%) were grade G, 7 (24.2%) were grade H, and 13 (44.8%) were grade I. Conclusions TXAI-related ME mainly involved easily mixed drugs and prescription errors. The severe ME main occurred in the operating room and mainly due to incorrect intrathecal injection, leading to fatal neurological and cardiac toxicity in patients.