Clinical pharmacy
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Review Case Reports
Management of glucose abnormalities in patients receiving total parenteral nutrition.
A patient who developed extreme fluctuations in serum glucose concentrations while receiving total parenteral nutrition (TPN) is described, and etiologies of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia, as well as a rational approach to preventing and managing these disorders in patients receiving TPN, are presented. A 40-year-old white man with a 29-year history of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus was hospitalized after he had an episode of rejection related to a cadaveric kidney transplant. During the hospitalization, his right leg was amputated because of cellulitis, and he developed septicemia with respiratory failure. ⋯ Patients receiving parenteral nutrition are subject to widely varying serum glucose concentrations related not only to the nutrition support provided but also to various underlying metabolic and physiologic complications commonly present. Common etiologies of, and ways to prevent and manage, hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia are reviewed. Clinicians should be aware of the risk of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia in patients receiving TPN and monitor patients appropriately for alterations in glucose homeostasis.
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Advances in the selection and use of drugs during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) are reviewed. In 1985, the American Heart Association and the National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council revised standards and guidelines for CPR and emergency cardiac care. Algorithms were developed for treatment of (1) ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia, (2) ventricular tachycardia with pulse, (3) asystole, (4) electromechanical dissociation, (5) paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia, (6) bradycardia, and (7) ventricular ectopy. ⋯ For endotracheal administration, an initial 1.0-mg dose is recommended, and subsequent doses are determined by patient response. Epinephrine has a beta-adrenergic-stimulating effect that may increase myocardial oxygen demand, but pure alpha agonists such as phenylephrine, methoxamine, and metaraminol have not been found superior to epinephrine. Epinephrine has not been proven to make ventricular fibrillation more susceptible to direct-current countershock. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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The pathophysiology, clinical features, and management of cyanide toxicity are reviewed and sources of cyanide are listed. Cyanide is a deadly poison that is found in many foods and household and industrial products, including some that are readily available. Cyanide binds with cytochrome oxidase, the enzyme responsible for oxidative phosphorylation, and paralyzes cellular respiration. ⋯ Supportive care also is important. Cobalt EDTA, hydroxocobalamin, and aminophenols have also been used but are not considered standard treatments. Cyanide poisoning is a medical emergency that requires prompt recognition and immediate and aggressive treatment.
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The safety and efficacy of antiemetic drugs used in the treatment of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy are reviewed. Confirmation of the teratogenicity of drugs in humans is difficult; the risk can be estimated from results of cohort studies and case-control studies. The possible teratogenicity of Bendectin (doxylamine succinate and pyridoxine hydrochloride) was studied thoroughly; although the risk was minimal, the drug was withdrawn from the U. ⋯ The relative efficacy of these agents has not been determined. The available data suggest that meclizine and dimenhydrinate are the antiemetics that present the lowest risk of teratogenicity; meclizine is the drug of first choice. Phenothiazines should be reserved for treating persistent vomiting that threatens the maternal nutritional status.
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Use of endotracheal drug therapy during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is reviewed. Endotracheal drug therapy--instillation of a drug solution directly into an endotracheal tube for absorption into the circulation via the alveoli--may be used during CPR when venous access is limited. Administration of drugs via a central vein is the most efficient route, but a central i.v. line may not be present and peripheral venous administration may not be possible because of vasoconstriction, trauma, other patient-related factors, or absence of personnel trained to insert i.v. catheters. ⋯ Usually, the same dose is administered endotracheally as by the i.v. route. Little is known about choice and volume of diluent and the best anatomic site of application. Endotracheal drug administration may replace intracardiac injection as the second-line alternative to intravenous drug injection during CPR.