OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether the content of Atenolol on fragments of tablets in dosages of 100 mg, 50 mg and 25 mg broken into four parts with the aid of homemade knife and cutter unit tablets is different, depending on how the division is performed. METHODS: The intact tablets were divided with a knife and with a homemade pill cutter device, and the concentrations of Atenolol were determined in all fragments. RESULTS: No significant difference existed between the levels of Atenolol obtained after splitting the tablets with the homemade knife or the pill cutter device, although the division led to severe levels of dispersal among fragments. When divided in half, the dispersion of results was between 7% and 12.1%, and when divided into four parts, it was between 9.2% and 21.1%, indicating the possibility of compromising the effectiveness of treating patients regardless of how the division was made. CONCLUSION: The results indicated a greater dispersion than would be acceptable to guarantee a uniform dose received at each drug administration, regardless of the way the division was performed, either by phone or homemade knife cutter pills.
Atenolol; Tablets; Equipment and supplies; Pharmaceutical care
