Cisatracurium 2 Mg/Ml Solution For Injection/Infusion
Read all of this leaflet carefully before
you start using this medicine
• Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.
• If you have any further questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
• This medicine has been prescribed for you. Do not pass it on to others.
It may harm them, even if their symptoms are the same as yours.
• If any of the side effects gets serious, or if you notice any side effects not listed in this leaflet, please tell your doctor or pharmacist.
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hospira
PACKAGE LEAFLET: INFORMATION FOR THE USER
Cisatracurium 2 mg/ml Solution for Injection/Infusion
Cisatracurium 5 mg/ml Solution for Injection/Infusion
Cisatracurium
In this leaflet
1. What Cisatracurium is and what it is used for
2. Before you are given Cisatracurium
3. How you are given Cisatracurium
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store Cisatracurium
6. Further information
1. WHAT CISATRACURIUM IS AND WHAT IT IS USED FOR
Cisatracurium belongs to a group of medicines called muscle relaxants. The full name of this medicine is Cisatracurium Solution for Injection/Infusion but for ease of reference it will be referred to as Cisatracurium throughout the leaflet.
Cisatracurium is used
• during surgery and other procedures and in intensive care
• with general anaesthesia, or sedation in the Intensive Care Unit to relax muscles
• to help insert a tube into the windpipe (tracheal intubation) if a person needs help to breathe (with or without a machine).
Cisatracurium is used in adults and in children over 1 month of age.
2. BEFORE YOU ARE GIVEN CISATRACURIUM
Take special care with Cisatracurium
Speak with your doctor before receiving this medicine if you:
• have a neuromuscular disease, such as a muscle wasting disease, paralysis, motor neurone disease, cerebral palsy or myasthenia gravis
• have a burn which requires medical treatment
• have ever had an allergic reaction to any muscle relaxant
• are aware that you have abnormal blood acidity or abnormal blood electrolyte levels
Using other medicines
Please tell your doctor if you are taking or have recently taken any other medicines, including medicines obtained without a prescription. This includes herbal medicines. This is because these medicines can affect how well Cisatracurium works or cause side effects.
In particular tell your doctor, nurse or pharmacist if you are taking, or have recently received any of the following:
• anaesthetics (used to reduce sensation and pain during surgical procedures)
• antibiotics (used to treat infections)
• medicines for uneven heart beats (anti-arrhythmics)
• medicines for high blood pressure
• water tablets (diuretics), such as frusemide
• medicines for inflammation of the joints, such as chloroquine or d-penicillamine
• steroids
• medicines for fits (epilepsy), such as phenytoin or carbamazepine
• medicines for mental illness, such as lithium, monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) or chlorpromazine (which can also be used for nausea)
• medicines containing magnesium
• medicines for Alzheimer's disease (anticholinesterases such as donepezil)
• other muscle relaxants
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
You should not be given this medicine if you are pregnant. If you are pregnant and you are given this medicine because of a medical emergency, ask your doctor for advice before starting breastfeeding again. Breastfeeding may be started 24 hours after this medicine has been given to you.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking any medicine.
Driving and using machines
Some patients may occasionally feel dizzy, drowsy or confused after treatment with this medicine. If this happens to you, do not drive or use machinery. Your doctor will advise how long you should wait after an operation before you can drive.
You will not be given Cisatracurium
• if you are allergic (hypersensitive) to cisatracurium besilate, atracurium or any of the other ingredients in this medicine (see section 6).
Cisatracurium 2 mg/ml Solution for Injection/Infusion
Cisatracurium 5 mg/ml Solution for Injection/Infusion
The following information is intended for medical or healthcare professionals only
Incompatibilities
This medicinal product must not be mixed with other medicinal products except those mentioned in 'Instructions for use and handling' below.
Since cisatracurium is stable only in acidic solutions it should not be mixed in the same syringe or administered simultaneously through the same needle with alkaline solutions, e.g., sodium thiopentone. It is not compatible with ketorolac, trometamol or propofol injectable emulsion.
Instructions for use and handling
For single use only.
Use only clear and almost colourless up to slightly yellow/greenish yellow coloured solutions. The product should be visually inspected before use, and if the visual appearance has changed or if the container is damaged, the product must be discarded.
The diluted product is stable for at least 24 hours at concentrations between 0.1 - 2.0 mg/ml in the following infusion solutions:
Glucose (5% w/v) IV Infusion
Sodium Chloride (0.18% w/v) and Glucose (4% w/v) IV infusion
Sodium Chloride (0.45% w/v) and Glucose (2.5% w/v) IV infusion
However, since the product contains no antimicrobial preservative, dilution should be carried out immediately prior to use, or failing this the diluted solution should be stored as directed below.
Cisatracurium has been shown to be compatible with the following commonly used peri-operative drugs, when mixed in conditions simulating administration into a running intravenous infusion via a Y-site injection port: alfentanil hydrochloride, droperidol, fentanyl citrate, midazolam hydrochloride and sufentanil citrate. Where other drugs are administered through the same indwelling needle or cannula as this medicinal product, it is recommended that each drug be flushed through with an adequate volume of a suitable intravenous fluid, e.g., Sodium Chloride Intravenous Infusion (0.9% w/v).
As with other drugs administered intravenously, when a small vein is selected as the injection site, cisatracurium should be flushed through the vein with a suitable intravenous fluid, e.g., sodium chloride intravenous infusion (0.9% w/v).
Sodium Chloride (0.9% w/v) IV Infusion
3. HOW YOU ARE GIVEN CISATRACURIUM
5. HOW TO STORE CISATRACURIUM
Cisatracurium will be administered to you by a healthcare professional
This medicine will only be administered directly into a vein, either by injection or by slow intravenous infusion. Cisatracurium can be given as a single injection into your vein (intravenous bolus injection) or as a continuous infusion into your vein. This is where the drug is slowly given to you over a longer period of time.
Your doctor will decide how you will be given this medicine and the dose you will receive. This depends on the following factors:
• your body weight
• the amount and duration of muscle relaxation required
• your expected response to the medicine.
Use in Children
Children less than 1 month old should not be given this medicine.
If you receive more Cisatracurium than you should
This medicine will always be given to you by your doctor or anaesthetist under carefully controlled conditions. It is unlikely that you will be given too much, however, tell your doctor or nurse if you have any concerns.
Keep out of the reach and sight of children.
Do not use this medicine after the expiry date, which is stated on the carton and the label. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
Store in a refrigerator between 2 - 8°C. Do not freeze. Keep the vial in the outer carton in order to protect from light.
To be used only if the solution appears clear and almost colourless to slightly yellow/ greenish coloured. The product should be visually inspected before use, and if the visual appearance differs from the above description or if the container is damaged, the product must be discarded.
Unused portions of opened vials must not be stored for later use.
Diluted solutions should be used immediately, however, if this is not possible they can, in certain circumstances, be stored for up to 24 hours.
Medicines should not be disposed of via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to dispose of medicines no longer required. These measures will help to protect the environment.
6. FURTHER INFORMATION
very common: affects more than 1 user in 10
common: affects 1 to 10 users in 100
uncommon: affects 1 to 10 users in 1,000
rare: affects 1 to 10 users in 10,000
very rare: affects less than 1 user in 10,000
not known: frequency cannot be estimated from the available data
4. POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
The assessment of the side effects is based on the following frequencies:
The following side effects have been reported following the administration of this medicine:
Common
• decreased heart rate
• low blood pressure
Uncommon
• a rash or redness on your skin
• coughing or wheezing
Very rare
• muscle wasting and muscle weakness
• severe allergic reactions
If any of the side effects gets serious, or if you notice any side effects not listed in this leaflet, please tell your doctor or pharmacist.
What Cisatracurium contains
• The active substance is cisatracurium besilate.
Each 2.5 ml vial contains 5 mg cisatracurium (as cisatracurium besilate)
Each 5 ml vial contains 10 mg cisatracurium (as cisatracurium besilate)
Each 10 ml vial contains 20 mg cisatracurium (as cisatracurium besilate)
Each 30 ml vial contains 150 mg cisatracurium (as cisatracurium besilate)
• The other ingredients are benzenesulfonic acid and Water for Injections.
What this medicine looks like and the contents of the pack
Cisatracurium is a colourless to pale yellow/ greenish solution which comes in glass containers called vials. This medicine may be supplied in packs containing 1 or 5 vials.
Not all pack sizes may be marketed.
Marketing Authorisation Holder
Hospira UK Limited
Queensway
Royal Leamington Spa
Warwickshire
CV31 3RW
UK
Manufacturers responsible for batch release
Hospira Spa
Via Fosse Ardeatine, 2 20060 Liscate (MI)
Italy
This leaflet was last approved in: 10/2011
Shelf life after dilution
Shelf life after dilution: Chemical and physical in-use stability has been demonstrated for 24 hours at 5°C and 25°C at concentrations of 0.1 and 2 mg/ml in PVC infusion bags.
From a microbiological point of view, the product should be used immediately. If not used immediately, in-use storage times and conditions prior to use are the responsibility of the user and would normally not be longer than 24 hours at 2°C - 8°C, unless dilution has taken place in controlled and validated aseptic conditions.