Lecture 4 (Special Populations)-Exam 2 Flashcards
(116 cards)
Vitamin C deficiency
* What is the active form?
* What is the MCC?
- Active form: Ascorbic acid
- MCC: decreased intake
Vitamin C deficiency
* What are the manifestations?(5)
- Periodontal disease
- Impaired immune system
- Impaired wound healing
- Depression
- Microcytic anemia
What is the treatment for vitamin C deficiency?
- Increased intake
- Ascorbic acid: 70 to 150 mg IM/IV/SC daily
Appendicitis treatment: not ruptured
* What is first line?
* What do you need to do perioperativly? Post operative?
First-line: appendectomy
* Perioperative antibiotics: Ceftriaxone plus metronidazole
* 0 to 7 days post operative antibiotics-> Less evidence
Appendicitis treatment: ruptured or sepsis
* What is first line?
First-line: supportive care plus antibiotics
* Stabilize
* Percutaneous drain
* Antibiotic therapy
Rupture / sepsis:
* What are the empiric IV antibiotics choices? (3)
* What can be added?
- Meropenem or imipenem
- Piperacillin/tazobactam
- Ciprofloxacin plus metronidazole
- ± percutaneous drain
Appendicitis treatment:
* When do you convert the antibiotics?
* When do you f/u?
- Conversion to oral antibiotics once clinically improved to complete 7 to 10 days course
- Follow-up in 6 to 8 weeks for scheduled appendectomy
What are the challenges to safe and effective drug therapy in the elderly? (5)
- Polypharmacy
- Altered pharmacokinetics / pharmacodynamics
- Physiologic reserve
- Access to medications
- Social system and support
Polypharmacy
* WHO defines this as what?
* What are the risk factors?(6)
World Health Organization (WHO) ≥ 5 drugs at any one time
* Aging population
* Complex therapies
* Multiple prescribers
* Multiple pharmacies
* Psychosocial issues
* Adverse drug reactions (prescribing cascade)
Strategies to Prevent Polypharmacy
* Maintain what?
* Encourage patients to do what?
* Review what?
* Use the fewest what?
- Maintain an accurate medication list and medical history and update whenever possible
- Encourage patients to bring all medications including prescription, OTC drugs, supplements, and herbal preparations
- Review any changes with patient and caregiver and if possible, provide all the changes in writing
- Use the fewest possible number of medications and the simplest possible dosing regimen
Strategies to Prevent Polypharmacy
* Try to link what?
* Discontinue what?
* Screen for what?
* Use for type of approach?
* Avoid what?
- Try to link each prescribed medication with its diagnosis
- Discontinue all unnecessary medications
- Screen for drug-drug and drug-disease interactions
- Use a team approach if possible involving the caregiver or family and pharmacist
- Avoid starting potentially harmful medications; use Beer’s criteria
Strategies to Prevent Polypharmacy
* Try to start medications how?
* Avoid starting medications to combat what?
* What should you be doing during transitions of care?
* Consider what when assessing emdication appropriatenees?
- Try to start a new medication at the lowest dose and then titrate slowly
- Avoid starting medications to combat the potential side effects of other medications (prescribing cascade)
- Careful medication reconciliation during transitions of care
- Consider goals of care and life-expectancy of patients when assessing medication appropriateness
Pharmacokinetic / Pharmacodynamic changes
* Increase risk of what?
* Physiologic changes alter what?
* Increased sensitivity to what? Give examples (4)
Increased risk of adverse drug reactions due to pharmacokinetic changes
Physiologic changes alter response to drug therapy
Increased sensitivity to adverse drug reactions
* Antihypertensives
* Anticoagulants
* Anticholinergic
* CNS drugs
Pharmacokinetic / Pharmacodynamic changes
Common criteria for risk determination
* What does the drug burden index incorporate?
* Increasing number of these medications lead to what? (3)
Incorporates drugs with anticholinergic and CNS adverse effects
Increasing number of these medications leads to
* Impaired mobility
* Decrease in cognitive testing
* Increased falls
Common criteria for risk determination: Drug burden index
* Total number of medications did not increase what?
Total number of medications did not increase adverse effects if these two medication classes excluded(anticholinergics and CNS)
Common criteria for risk determination: beers criteria
* What is it?
* What does look at? (5)
List of medications potentially inappropriate for older patients due to risk of adverse effects
* Potentially inappropriate in most groups
* Typically avoided based on specific conditions (ex. Liver disease)
* Used with caution
* Drug-drug interactions
* Dose adjust based on kidney function
What are the medications commonly associated with ADRs in elderly?
- Anticoagulants
- CNS agents
- Antipsychotics
- Opioids
- Benzodiazepines
- Antidepressants
- Sedative hypnotics
- Antiepileptics
- Diuretics
- Antihypertensives
What is the step wise approach to reviewing medications for older adults?
Under prescribing
* What is it?
* Why does this happen? (5)
Number of medications / medication doses below guideline recommended normal
* Prescribers not aware of continued benefits in older adults->Treatment and prophylaxis (old studies vs new)
* Informed under prescribing (scared of overdoing it)
* Increase compliance
* Limit drug interactions
* Maintain QOL
Access affordability
* What are the issues? (2)
- Underinsured or uninsured – specifically medications
- Compliance decreases with lack of insurance coverage
Access affordability
* What are the ways to help? (4)
- Know your patient’s situation
- Know least expensive drugs in major classes used
- Have a person who can tap them into resources
- Watch out for the new, “fancy” medications