Medicine Manipulation for Paediatric Use: Dispersible aspirin tablets and dose uniformity.

Abstract

Concerns about uniformityand the accuracy of the doses resulting from tablet manipulation havepreviously been reported.  When aspirinis required to treat children, an oral liquid is not readily available,therefore health care providers or parents are required to manipulate aspirintablets to produce the appropriate dose. In this work, aspirin 75mg dispersible tablets were dispersed in a rangeof waters (room temperature and warm deionized and tap water and sparklingwater) and the dose accuracy was measured. The impact of temperature on the dose accuracy for the tap water wasless pronounced yet there was overall lower accuracy compared to the deionisedwater. Dispersion of the tablet in sparkling water does not give an accuratedose.  Heatingfluid used in dispersion is practically achievable yet deionized water in thehome or a ward is impractical.  Sparklingwater should be avoided when dispersing aspirin tablet.  Thereis a need to evaluate the apparatus and methods used to manipulate medicinesfor children as both the water used and the tools to undertake the manipulationhave significant effects on the accuracy of the dose obtained.