NURS-6521 Mid-Term Summary & Study Guide: September 2019 NURS-6521
Mid-Term Summary & Study Guide: September 2019
NURS-6521
o 100-question Exam which will assess your knowledge on the Learning Resources from Weeks 1-6
...
NURS-6521 Mid-Term Summary & Study Guide: September 2019 NURS-6521
Mid-Term Summary & Study Guide: September 2019
NURS-6521
o 100-question Exam which will assess your knowledge on the Learning Resources from Weeks 1-6.
o Time limit of 2 hours.
o Multiple choice or multiple selection.
o Due on October 14, 2019 1:59:00 AM EDT.
Pharmacokinetics:
Understand the implications of changing renal function on creatinine and drug dosingo Some drugs have special decreased doses or different dosing schedules for those with
renal impairment (renal dosing)
o For drugs that are toxic to the kidneys, a routine urinalysis and serum creatinine or
creatinine clearance should be done
o Renal excretion is significantly reduced at birth, so drugs primarily excreted by the
kidneys should be given in lower dosages or longer dosing intervals
o Kidney disease can reduce drug excretion, causing drugs to accumulate in the body
o In older adults, renal function is assessed by creatinine clearance, not serum creatinine
Creatinine levels do not adequately reflect kidney function in older adults
because the source of serum creatinine—lean muscle mass—declines in parallel
with the decline in kidney function.
o Drug accumulation secondary to reduced renal excretion is the most important cause of
adverse drug reactions in older adults.
o Renal function should be assessed regularly when using drugs that are eliminated
primarily by the kidneys
What is the impact of the following on drug levels and dosing:
Cirrhosis- Liver disease can cause drugs to accumulate because the liver is the
major site for drug metabolism
In patients with hepatic impairment, drug dosages need to be reduced or
discontinued to prevent drug toxicity
Some drugs have special decreased doses or different dosing schedules for those
with hepatic impairment (hepatic dosing)
Liver enzymes may need to be checked periodically for drugs that can cause liver
damage
o Protein binding-
plasma albumin is the main protein that drugs can bind with
drug binding to albumin is reversible making drugs bound and unbound( free)
free means circulating in blood
the percentage of drug molecules that are bound determines the strength of the
attraction between albumin and drug
Example- coumadin creates a strong bond causing 99% of the drug to be
bound and 1% to be free( unbound)
Gentamycin and albumin creates a weak bond leaving 90% open 10%
bound
Consequences of bound drugs that they restrict the ability reach their site
of actions or are metabolized because albumin is to large leave the
bloodstream; once bind are broken the drug leaves the circulation.
Albumin has minimal site that drugs can bind; drugs will compete for the
receptors to bind with may causing an increased intensity of medication
and depending on the medication cause toxicity
o Drug interactionsDrugs produce effects by interacting with other chemicals( receptors) they produce the
effects of the drugs- it is usually reversible
The binding to the receptor either blocks or mimics or increase/decrease the physiological
activity of that receptor
Selectivity is the ability to elicit only the response for which a drug is given
The drug only reacts with one receptor type regulated a few processes and effects are
limited.
Receptors are like a lock and key only certain drugs bind to specific receptors
Simple occupancy theory
The intensity of the drug is proportional to the number of receptors occupied by that
drug
The maximal response will occur when all receptors have been occupied
Modified occupancy theory
Affinity refers to the strength of the attraction between drug and receptor
High affinity are strongly attracted to their receptors
low affinity is weakly attracted
Potency – causes a strong attraction to receptors drugs with high affinity can
bind with receptors when present in low concentration
Intrinsic activity refers the ability of the drug to activate the receptor after binding
Medications with high intrinsic activity have maximal efficacy
An intense receptor activation causes intense responses
o Half-life- The actual amount of drug that is lost during one half-life depends on the
amount of the drug present in the body. Half-life refers to a percentage (50%), not an
amount.
Example: Morphine has a half-life of 3 hours. This means that the drug level of morphine
will decrease by 50% every 3 hours, regardless of the amount in the body. If there are 50
mg of Morphine in the body, 25mg will be lost in 3 hours.
*The half-life of a drug determines the dosing interval. For drugs with a short half-life,
the dosing interval must be correspondingly short. If a long dosing interval is used for a
drug with a short half-life, drug levels will fall below the minimum effective
concentration (MEC) between doses, and therapeutic effects will be lost.
(MEC) =defined as the plasma drug level below which therapeutic effects will not occur.
o
Routes of Administration and Dosage Forms:
Understand the different routes of administration and dosage forms and some of the challenges
and benefits associated with these routes and forms.-
IV- Barriers to absorption: none, absorption is instantaneous
Advantages: rapid onset, precise control over drug levels, permits use of large fluid
volumes/irritant drugs
Disadvantages: irreversible, expensive, inconvenient, not suited for self-administration, risk for fluid
overload, infection, and embolism, drug must be water soluble
IM- Barriers to absorption: Capillary wall, absorption is rapid with water soluble drugs and slow with
poorly soluble drugs
Advantages: permits use of poorly soluble drugs and depot preparations
Disadvantages: possible discomfort, inconvenient, potential for injury
subQ- Barriers to absorption: Capillary wall, absorption is rapid with water soluble drugs and slow
with poorly soluble drugs
Advantages: permits use of poorly soluble drugs and depot preparations
Disadvantages: possible discomfort, inconvenient, potential for injury
PO- Barriers to absorption: Epithelial lining of GI tract; capillary wall, absorption is slow and
variable
Advantages: easy, convenient, inexpensive, self-medication, potentially reversible, safer than
parenteral routes
Disadvantages: variability, gastric acid and digestive enzymes may inactivate some drugs, N/V from
local irritation, patient must be conscious and cooperative
Transdermal- Barriers to absorption: epidermis, dermis
Advantages: provide the highest medication absorption, prolonged duration of action, useful for
potent drugs, reduction of adverse effects
Disadvantages: possibility of irritation at the site of application, limitation on drugs that can be
delivered in this manner, creates increased risk for toxicity in infants
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