Emergency ruler for children drug dosage

Ruler for drug dosing can save children's lives

03.08.2011

A Cologne emergency doctor has a so-called „emergency ruler“ designed for drug dosing in children. The ruler should help prevent false dosages of medication in emergencies in the future.

Emergency physicians and paramedics should with the novel „emergency ruler“ equipped to provide a measuring tool for use with the most common medicines in children. So the approach of an initiative for the introduction of the emergency ruler, which among other things the technician health insurance (TK) and auxiliary organizations such as the German red cross and the Johanniter accident assistance belong.

Increased risk of incorrect drug dosing in emergency response
Children are involved in numerous emergency operations annually, where according to the Techniker Krankenkasse about one third of emergency medical services in children due to accidents, 20 percent are caused by respiratory diseases and beyond drowning, poisoning, burns and scalding are among the most common causes of use. In about half of the patients, the emergency doctor has to administer drugs to the children on the spot, according to the presentation of the TC. However, the emergency physicians often have little experience with young patients who are dependent on drugs, which makes false doses three times as common as in adults, TK continues. As a possible serious consequences of incorrect drug dosage called the health insurance, for example, respiratory paralysis or cardiac arrest. But with the „emergency ruler“ the administration of high medication doses could be avoided in the future. At the head of the novel instrument, emergency physicians and paramedics can read the most commonly used drugs and doses at given body weight or body size during operations, TK explained.

Height and weight as the basis of the dosage recommendation
In relation to the weight or size of the patients, the ruler provides a list of age-appropriate physiological norms, weight-based dosage recommendations and suitable sizes of equipment, according to the presentation of the Techniker Krankenkasse. In this way, emergency physicians can at any time determine relatively easily, which drug doses and which equipment should be used and the risk of incorrect dosage will be significantly reduced, explained the technicians health insurance. According to the latest reports, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and the Saarland are the first federal states to introduce the nationwide introduction of the „emergency ruler“ decided. All 600 emergency vehicles and helicopters of the three federal states will in future be equipped with the new measuring instrument.

Drug dosing in children is problematic
In general, care should be taken with the dosage of medicines for children, as well as the warning of the President of the Landesapothekerkammer Hessen, Erika Fink, at the beginning of the month. The dosage must also be determined individually for over-the-counter medicines, because, for example, the skin of children is much thinner than adults and creams or ointments can therefore easily penetrate in larger quantities. In addition, the blood-brain barrier is not fully developed in children, with the result that active substances contained in the bloodstream, possibly reach the brain with the blood and can cause unwanted side effects, said the President of the Landesapothekerkammer Hessen. All in all, it should be discouraged against a careless handling of the drug doses, according to the expert. (Fp)