Autoinjector Case Study

8. Summary and conclusion Disasters can be natural such as landslides, earthquakes, floods, road and rail accidents and outbreak of disease. They can be manmade also like chemical, biological and nuclear attacks. In both situations significant social, environmental and economical impactwould occur. Casualties following disasters, and major accidents could escalate very rapidly if necessary preventive methods are not followed. Since such events are sudden and rapid, it is very difficult or may not be possible to mobilise the exposed casualties for medical treatment by trained personnel. With rapid and appropriate intervention, high morbidity and mortality resulting from communicable diseases can be avoided. Autoinjector with an antibacterial

Emergency situations like natural calamities and chemical and biowarfare, where prevention and clinical management are very important to control infectious disease outbreak, there is a need for an equipment that acts faster to control the morbidity and mortality resulting from infectious disease. An autoinjector would be very useful in such situations. Autoinjector with an antibacterial combination which can act against various gram negative and gram positive bacteria including anaerobes would be very useful for the immediate administration in emergency and critical situations like trauma and serious injuries.The synergistic effect of selected antibiotic combinations (1) amikacin with cefazolin and (2) amikacin with vancomycin were tested in vitro for their synergistic effect using disc diffusion technique and double disc synergy test. Cefazolin is a βeta lactum antibiotic, belonging to first generation cephalosporin, have action mainly against gram positive bacteria. Hence its combination with aminoglycoside, amikacin will be a better combination. Vancomycin acts by inhibiting cell wall synthesis and has action against gram positive including Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). It is a nephrotoxic drug, combining with amikacin may produce serious complications. Hence vancomycin -

Autoinjectors has many benefits for the user and health care professionals. It is not necessary to manually insert the needle into the skin. So, it simplifies the injection process. Since the needle is not seen out, it reduces needle phobia. The needle tip is shielded prior to injection and has a passive safety mechanism to prevent accidental firing or injection. Autoinjectors are suitable for all kinds of injectable liquid medications. The drug is already reconstituted in the cartridge, hence it is ready-to-use with easy handling during emergency situation. It can meet the emergency need since it can deliver the drugs within seconds. Autoinjectors are proven safe for many lifesaving drugs. From the present study, it is evident that delivery of drug through autoinjector is as efficient as manual injection. As there are no commercially available autoinjectors with antibiotics either alone or in combination for mass casualty management, this will be very useful for further developmental work. The developed product will be easy to carry, have a good shelf life and easy to use with maximum benefit. It can be useful for adult, children as well as farm and pet