Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is often used in hospitals to treat critically ill patients because of its anti-inflammatory properties, which help neutralize free radicals and reduce cellular damage. Ascorbic acid is generally considered to be safe, even in high doses, with very few side effects. Recent publications describe success with ascorbic acid adjunctive therapy in treating sepsis, a leading cause of patient readmission and death in U.S. hospitals, according to the National Institutes of Health. However, ascorbic acid is a proven interference to some point-of-care (POC) glucose meters used in hospital glycemic management, causing some meters to over-report glucose by 30% or higher. This webinar will discuss the increased risk of false hyperglycemia to patients receiving ascorbic acid infusion while also being monitored for glycemic control with glucose meters, and which meter/s that can be safely used with this therapy.

Featured Speaker: Alexander H. Flannery, PharmD, BCCCP, BCPS, Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science Director, PGY2 Critical Care Residency, University of Kentucky HealthCare and College of Pharmacy, Lexington, KY

Flannery received his Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Kentucky, and then completed a PGY1 pharmacy practice residency at the Medical University of South Carolina and a PGY2 critical care specialty residency at the University of Kentucky. He currently practices in the medical intensive care unit at UK HealthCare, where he precepts pharmacy students and residents on rotation. He co-coordinates the critical care elective and teaches advanced therapeutics courses, among other activities at the College of Pharmacy at the University of Kentucky. In addition to teaching, he is actively involved in critical care research and scholarship, including prospective clinical trials in critically ill patients. He is an active member of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and Society of Critical Care Medicine.

Learning Objectives
• Describe the clinical research on intravenous ascorbic acid therapy in patients with septic shock and severe burns.
• Design an appropriate monitoring regimen for patients on intravenous ascorbic acid therapy.
• Identify the effect of ascorbic acid on commonly used POC glucose meters.

Who should attend?
• POC coordinators    • Lab professionals    • Critical care nurses    • Hospital-based pharmacists

Continuing Education
This seminar provides 1 contact hour for P.A.C.E. continuing education credits. Nova Biomedical is approved as a provider of continuing education programs in the clinical laboratory sciences by the ASCLS P.A.C.E program. P.A.C.E. is a registered trademark of the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science. This program has been approved by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) for 1.25 Synergy CERPs Category A, File Number 21853.