Interações medicamentosas e consequentes intervenções farmacêuticas na Unidade de Terapia Intensiva de um hospital privado em Macapá, Amapá

Introduction: Patients admitted to Intensive Care Units (ICU) are submitted to multiple drug treatments, considering the severity of their problems. Drug interaction is defined as an event caused by the modification of the effect or use of a drug in the body. The evaluation of potential drug interactions can help the multiprofessional team to promote a quality treatment, avoiding harmful interactions, reducing the length of hospitalization and consequently reducing costs. Objective: To evaluate the main drug interactions observed in the ICUs of a private hospital in the city of Macapa, Brazil, through the analysis of the prescriptions and the consequent interventions adopted in order to minimize their risks. Method: Prescriptions of patients admitted to the ICU were evaluated for the presence of potential drug interactions and their respective classification according to their risk and mechanism. A brief bibliographic study about the main interactions was carried out in order to highlight its mechanism and the measures adopted by the multidisciplinary team. Results: We observed that the majority of the interactions, both in the adult ICU and in the neonatal ICU, were considered of moderate risk. Pharmacokinetic interactions were more common in the adult ICU, while pharmacodynamics predominated in the neonatal intensive care unit. Management during the administration of medications was the most appropriate intervention for most cases of drug interactions. Conclusions: Monitoring of potential interactions in critically ill patients seeks to ensure patient safety in order to reduce the potential risks to which they are exposed.