chapter 8 Flashcards
Atrial fibrillation:
cardiac arrythmia characterized by rapid contractions of the atrium which may affect the ventricles
Cardiac output:
the amount of blood pumped by the cardiac muscle in a minute
Digitalization:
a series of digitalis doses given until the drug gives the full therapeutic effect
Ejection fraction:
the amount of blood that the ventricle ejects per beat in relation to the amount of blood available to eject
Heart failure:
is ventricular dysfunction can be left or right sided heart failure or both sides
Ischemic:
is decreased blood flow to the heart thus not delivering oxygen needed
Left ventricular dysfunction:
left ventricular systolic dysfunction is the most common type of heart failure
Positive inotropic action:
the increased force of contraction of the myocardium throughout the use of cardiotonic drugs
Cardiotonic are drugs used to improve
the efficiency and contraction of the heart muscle, leading to improved blood flow to the tissues
Sympathetic nervous system
increases secretion of catecholamines
Left-ventricular dysfunction (left-ventricular systolic dysfunction)
Is the most common dysfunction
It results in decease of cardiac output and decrease Ejection Fraction
Uses of Cardiotonic Dugs
Atrial fibrillation
Thyroid hormones may
decrease the effectiveness of digitalis
Miscellaneous Inotropic Drugs
They are used for short-termtreatment for heart failure
Patient Management Issues With Cardiotonic And Miscellaneous Inotropic Drugs:
These drugs have a high toxicity level therefore the patient should me monitored carefully specially with the initial treatment
