HughesMedicine - Pharmacotherapy Pearls from the Internal Medicine Clinical Pharmacist
Monday, July 27, 2026
Phosphate Dosing - Units and Terminology Confusion
A previous discussion was about selecting a phosphate repletion product. Selecting a drug product can be confusing because of the similar names of the various formulations - which are not interchangeable. Harm can come if one is unaware of the other electrolytes (sodium and potassium)
that are necessarily included in the phosphate salt drug. This discussion
aims to clarify further confusion that is possible with regards to
terminology and also units (and yes, we'll include just a bit of math). We will also give a clear example where a published trial could lead someone to a wrong conclusion if they do not mind their units.
Recommended for you
-
Bleeding risk with anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications is something that we struggle with on a regular basis. Should we fully anti...
-
Let’s start with a patient case. An elderly patient has recently arrived from Italy and you are performing the medication reconciliation f...
-
The American Geriatrics Society recently published their Alternative Treatments to Selected Medications in reference to the most recent upd...
-
Since it's the time of year again when Lyme disease is a concern for patients in many parts of the United States, I thought it would b...
-
Let’s start with a patient case. A patient is being treated with methylprednisolone 20 mg IV q6 hours for some inflammatory process and...
-
Hepatic encephalopathy is a frequent and debilitating complication of liver disease. The mainstay of treatment, lactulose, has been used ...
-
Thiamine is a water-soluble vitamin that is an important coenzyme for various metabolic processes in the body. These include the regulat...
-
Let’s start with a patient scenario. A patient presents to the emergency room experiencing a heart failure exacerbation. When entering th...
-
Thrombocytopenia is a notable adverse effect of linezolid. Some of the evidence behind the onset, duration, and the extent of platelet de...
-
The management of anticoagulant therapy is an important component of the treatment of various disease states. Maintaining the narrow ther...
