Nitroglycerin In Dextrose

INDICATIONS AND USAGE Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection is indicated for treatment of peri-operative hypertension; for control of heart failure in the setting of acute myocardial infarction; for treatment of angina pectoris in patients who have not responded to sublingual nitroglycerin and ß-blockers; and for induction of intraoperative hypotension.

DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection is intended for intravenous administration using sterile equipment. Administer Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection only via an infusion pump that can maintain a constant infusion rate. Do not use a container which has lost its vacuum, or one in which particulate matter is visible. Dosage is affected by the type of infusion set used (see Warnings ). Although the usual adult starting dose in published studies has been 25 mcg/min or more, these studies used PVC tubing, so the delivered doses were less than those reported. When nonadsorptive tubing is used, doses must be reduced (see Warnings and Precautions ). The dosage must be determined by the patient’s individual requirement and depending on the required response and possible adverse effects (see Adverse Reactions ). Even using nonadsorptive tubing, the dose necessary to achieve a given response will vary greatly from patient to patient. Patients with normal or low left-ventricular filling pressure ( e.g. , patients with uncomplicated angina pectoris) may respond fully to as little as 5 mcg/min, while other patients may require a dose that is one or even two orders of magnitude higher. Continuous monitoring of blood pressure and heart rate is necessary in all patients receiving this medication; in many cases, invasive monitoring of pulmonary capillary wedge pressure will also be indicated. Lower concentrations of Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection increase the potential precision of dosing, but these concentrations increase the total fluid volume that must be delivered to the patient. Total fluid load may be a dominant consideration in patients with compromised function of the heart, liver, and/or kidneys. The necessary flow rates to achieve various dose rates with the available concentrations are shown in the following table. Using nonadsorptive tubing, the initial adult dosage of Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection should be 5 mcg/min. Subsequent titration must be guided by the clinical results, with dose increments becoming more cautious as partial response is seen. Initial titration should be in 5 mcg/min increments at intervals of 3 to 5 minutes. If no response is seen at 20 mcg/min, increments of 10 and even 20 mcg/min can be used. Once some hemodynamic response is observed, dosage increments should be smaller and less frequent. When the concentration is changed, the tubing must be disconnected from the patient and flushed with the new solution before therapy is continued. If this precaution is not taken, then depending upon the tubing, pump, and flow rate used, it might be several hours before nitroglycerin is delivered at the desired rate. Parenteral drug products should be inspected visually for particulate matter and discoloration prior to administration, whenever solution and container permit. Do not administer unless the solution is clear and the seal is intact. Do not add supplementary medication to Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection. Infusion Rate (mL/h) = [Dose (mcg/min) x 60 min/h] Concentration (mcg/mL) Example calculations for infusion rates are as follows: Example 1: for a dose of 30 μg/min using a 100 mcg/mL concentration, the infusion rate would be as follows: Infusion Rate (mL/h) = [30 (mcg/min) x 60 (min/h) ] = 18 (mL/h) 100 (mcg/mL) Example 2: for a dose of 240 mcg/min using a 400 mcg/mL concentration, the infusion rate would be as follows: Infusion Rate (mL/h) = [5 (mcg/min) x 60 (min/h) ] = 36 (mL/h) 400 (mcg/mL)

CONTRAINDICATIONS Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection is contraindicated in patients who are allergic to it. In patients with pericardial tamponade, restrictive cardiomyopathy, or constrictive pericarditis, cardiac output is dependent upon venous return. Intravenous nitroglycerin is contraindicated in patients with these conditions. Nitroglycerin is also contraindicated in patients with increased intracranial pressure. Do not use Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection in patients who are taking certain drugs for erectile dysfunction (phosphodiesterase inhibitors) such as sildenafil, tadalafil, or vardenafil. Concomitant use can cause severe hypotension, syncope, or myocardial ischemia. Do not use Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection in patients who are taking the soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator riociguat. Concomitant use can cause hypotension.

ADVERSE REACTIONS Adverse reactions to nitroglycerin are generally dose-related and almost all of these reactions are the result of nitroglycerin's activity as a vasodilator. Headache, which may be severe, is the most commonly reported side effect. Headache may be recurrent with each daily dose, especially at higher doses. Transient episodes of lightheadedness, occasionally related to blood pressure changes, may also occur. Hypotension occurs infrequently, but in some patients it may be severe enough to warrant discontinuation of therapy. Syncope, crescendo angina, and rebound hypertension have been reported but are uncommon. Allergic reactions to nitroglycerin are also uncommon, and the great majority of those reported have been cases of contact dermatitis or fixed drug eruptions in patients receiving nitroglycerin in ointments or patches. There have been a few reports of genuine anaphylactoid reactions, and these reactions can probably occur in patients receiving nitroglycerin by any route. Extremely rarely, ordinary doses of organic nitrates have caused methemoglobinemia in normal-seeming patients. Methemoglobinemia is so infrequent at these doses that further discussion of its diagnosis and treatment is deferred (see Overdosage ). Dyspnea has also been reported. Data are not available to allow estimation of the frequency of adverse reactions during treatment with Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection.

Drug Interactions: The vasodilating effects of nitroglycerin may be additive with those of antihypertensives (e.g., beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers and tricyclic antidepressants) and may cause increased hypotensive effects.. Concomitant use of Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection with phosphodiesterase inhibitors (e.g. sildenafil, tadalafil, or vardenafil) can cause hypotension and is contraindicated (see Contraindications ). Concomitant use of Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection with riociguat, a soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator, can cause hypotension and is contraindicated (see Contraindications ). Marked symptomatic orthostatic hypotension has been reported when calcium channel blockers and organic nitrates were used in combination. Nitroglycerin at higher dosages may interfere with the anticoagulant effect of heparin. Intravenous nitroglycerin can induce heparin resistance. Administration of Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection through the same infusion set as blood can result in pseudoagglutination and hemolysis. Do not mix Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection with any other medication of any kind.

DESCRIPTION Nitroglycerin is 1,2,3-propanetriol trinitrate, an organic nitrate whose structural formula is whose empiric formula is C 3 H 5 N 3 O 9 , and whose molecular weight is 227.09. The organic nitrates are vasodilators, active on both arteries and veins. Dextrose (Dextrose Hydrous, USP) is D-glucose monohydrate, a hexose sugar whose structural formula is whose empiric formula is C 6 H 12 O 6 • H 2 O, and whose molecular weight is 198.17. Dextrose is derived from corn. Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection is a sterile, nonpyrogenic solution of nitroglycerin and dextrose in water for injection. The solution is clear and practically colorless. Each 100 mL contains 10 mg, 20 mg, or 40 mg nitroglycerin (added as Diluted Nitroglycerin, USP with propylene glycol); 5 g Dextrose Hydrous, USP; 0.84 mL Alcohol, USP (added as a dissolution aid); and 105 mg Citric Acid Hydrous, USP (added as a buffer). The pH of the solution is adjusted with sodium hydroxide and, if necessary, hydrochloric acid. Although dry nitroglycerin is explosive, nitroglycerin in 5% dextrose is not. Composition, osmolarity and pH are given in Table 1. Table 1 Composition Normal physiologic osmolarity range is approximately 280 to 310 mOsmol/L. Administration of substantially hypertonic solutions (≥600 mOsmol/L) may cause vein damage. Osmolarity (mOsmol/L) (calc) pH Nitroglycerin (mcg/mL) Dextrose Hydrous, USP (g/L) 25 mg Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection 100 50 428 4.0 (3.0 to 5.0) 50 mg Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection 200 50 440 4.0 (3.0 to 5.0) 100 mg Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection 400 50 465 4.0 (3.0 to 5.0) Nitroglycerin Structural Formula Dextrose Structural Formula

OVERDOSAGE Signs and symptoms of overdose are generally similar to the described adverse reactions (see Adverse Reactions ). There is no specific antidote for overdose of nitroglycerin. The risk of overdose can be minimized by close monitoring during treatment. Hemodynamic Effects: The ill effects of nitroglycerin overdose are generally the results of nitroglycerin's capacity to induce vasodilation, venous pooling, reduced cardiac output, and hypotension. These hemodynamic changes may have protean manifestations, including increased intracranial pressure, with any or all of persistent throbbing headache, confusion, and moderate fever; vertigo; palpitations; visual disturbances; nausea and vomiting (possibly with colic and even bloody diarrhea); syncope (especially in the upright posture); air hunger and dyspnea, later followed by reduced ventilatory effort; diaphoresis, with the skin either flushed or cold and clammy; heart block and bradycardia; paralysis; coma; seizures; and death. Laboratory determinations of serum levels of nitroglycerin and its metabolites are not widely available, and such determinations have, in any event, no established role in the management of nitroglycerin overdose. No data are available to suggest physiological maneuvers (e.g., maneuvers to change the pH of the urine) that might accelerate elimination of nitroglycerin and its active metabolites. Similarly, it is not known which -if any- of these substances can usefully be removed from the body by hemodialysis. No specific antagonist to the vasodilator effects of nitroglycerin is known, and no intervention has been subject to controlled study as a therapy of nitroglycerin overdose. Because the hypotension associated with nitroglycerin overdose is the result of venodilatation and arterial hypovolemia, prudent therapy in this situation should be directed toward increase in central fluid volume. Passive elevation of the patient's legs may be sufficient, but intravenous infusion of normal saline or similar fluid may also be necessary. The use of epinephrine or other arterial vasoconstrictors in this setting is likely to do more harm than good. In patients with renal disease or heart failure, therapy resulting in central volume expansion is not without hazard. Treatment of nitroglycerin overdose in these patients may be subtle and difficult, and invasive monitoring may be required. Methemoglobinemia: Nitrate ions liberated during metabolism of nitroglycerin can oxidize hemoglobin into methemoglobin. Even in patients totally without cytochrome b 5 reductase activity, however, and even assuming that the nitrate moieties of nitroglycerin are quantitatively applied to oxidation of hemoglobin, about 1 mg/kg of nitroglycerin should be required before any of these patients manifests clinically significant (≥ 10%) methemoglobinemia. In patients with normal reductase function, significant production of methemoglobin should require even larger doses of nitroglycerin. In one study in which 36 patients received 2-4 weeks of continuous nitroglycerin therapy at 3.1 to 4.4 mg/hr, the average methemoglobin level measured was 0.2%; this was comparable to that observed in parallel patients who received placebo. Cases of methemoglobinemia have been reported with moderate doses of organic nitrates. Methemoglobin levels are available from most clinical laboratories. The diagnosis should be suspected in patients who exhibit signs of impaired oxygen delivery despite adequate cardiac output and adequate arterial pO 2 . Classically, methemoglobinemic blood is described as chocolate brown, without color change on exposure to air. When methemoglobinemia is diagnosed, discontinue treatment of nitroglycerin. If condition is not reversed, treat with methylene blue, 1-2 mg/kg intravenously.

HOW SUPPLIED NITROGLYCERIN IN 5% DEXTROSE INJECTION is supplied in the following dosage forms. NDC 51662-1332-1 NITROGLYCERIN IN 5% DEXTROSE INJECTION 50mg PER 250mL VIAL HF Acquisition Co LLC, DBA HealthFirst Mukilteo, WA 98275 Also supplied in the following manufacture supplied dosage forms Nitroglycerin in 5% Dextrose Injection is supplied in glass container as follows: Minimize exposure of pharmaceutical products to heat. Avoid excessive heat. Protect from freezing. Store the product at room temperature (25°C). Brief exposure up to 40°C does not adversely affect the product. Protect from light until time of use. Discard any unused portion. Baxter Healthcare Corporation Deerfield, IL 60015 Printed in USA Baxter is a registered trademark of Baxter International Inc. 07-19-76-571 Rev. August 2016 HOW SUPPLIED