While hospitalized for shortness of breath and low blood oxygen saturation, a 59-year-old man was prescribed his chronic cancer treatment drug, axitinib. A known side effect of this medication is shortness of breath. MedAware alerted the staff that further consideration may be warranted before administering the medication, as the shortness of breath was likely caused by his medication.

If given axitinib as prescribed, the patient’s condition could have been aggravated to a life-threatening point.