@article{ref1,
title="Epidemiological and Psychopharmacological Study About Off-Label Treatment in Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Emergencies: A Tertiary/Single Center Experience",
journal="Pediatric emergency care",
year="2022",
author="Pisano, Tiziana and Calvani, Anna Maria and Gori, Sara and Asprea, Martina and Casula, Laura and Vannini, Martina and Minghetti, Sara",
volume="38",
number="11",
pages="e1660-e1663",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: The study used an epidemiological and pharmacological description of child and adolescent psychiatric emergencies (CAPEs), during which psychotropic medications are frequently administered as off-label therapies. <br><br>METHODS: We retrospectively describe CAPE in 190 patients (mean age, 14.7 years) referring in the emergency department of a single tertiary center, from June 2016 to June 2018, focusing on off-label administration rate, most of all in emergency setting. <br><br>RESULTS: An intrinsic fragility was observed in this population, where 28.4% of patients present a history of self-harm, 24.7% a concomitant neurodevelopmental disorder, and 17.3% a history of substance abuse. Psychomotor agitation was the most frequent referral reason, and it represents an unspecified clinical presentation of several conditions, while self-harm showed a stronger association with depressive disorders (55.2%).Globally, 811 medications were administered both as baseline therapy (67.8% of off-label rate) and/or in the emergency setting, where the off-label rate raised to 78.3%. Benzodiazepines had the highest rate of off-label use (98.2% as baseline therapy, 92.9% in acute context). Nevertheless, in 83.5% cases of acute administrations, a singular oral benzodiazepine (mostly lorazepam) guaranteed psychomotor agitation resolution, with a lower rate of adverse effects in contrast with atypical antipsychotics. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Off-label drug use in CAPEs is a recurrent clinical practice. An international agreement about off-label drugs is crucial to obtain standard long-term pharmacoepidemiological, safety, and efficacy data. Pharmacological pediatric trials and international guidelines are also required to regulate pharmacological treatments of CAPEs, most of all in emergency settings.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0749-5161",
doi="10.1097/PEC.0000000000002693",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/PEC.0000000000002693"
}