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9 Cards in this Set
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digitalis drugs |
Strengthen the heart muscle, increase the force and velocity of myocardial systolic contraction, slow the heart rate, and decrease conduction velocity through the AV node. These drugs are sued in the treatment of congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, and paroxysmal atrial tachycardia (PAT). An overdosage of digitalis can cause toxicity. The most common early symptoms of digitalis toxicity are anorexia, nausea, vomiting, and arrhythmias. Ex: digoxin, Lanoxin |
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antiarrhythmic agents |
Used in the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. Ex: Tambour (flecainide acetate), Inderal (propanol HCl) Calan (verapamil), and Cordarone and Pacerone (amiodarone) |
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vasopressors |
Cause contraction of the muscles associated with capillaries and arteries, thereby narrowing the space through which the blood circulates. This narrowing results in an elevation of blood pressure. These are useful in the treatment of patients suffering from shock. Ex: Levophed (norepinephrine bitartrate), dopamine HCl, and metaraminol bitartrate |
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vasodilators |
Cause relaxation of blood vessels and lower blood pressure. Coronary vasodilators are used for the treatment of angina pectoris. Ex: sosorbide denigrate, nitroglycerin, and amyl nitrate |
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antihypertensive agents |
Used in the treatment of hypertension. Ex: Catapres (clonidine HCl), Lopressor (metoprolol tartrate), Capoten (captopril), and Toprol-XL (metoprolol succinate). |
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antihyperlipidemic agents |
Used to lower abnormally high blood levels of fatty substances when other treatment regimens fail. Ex: Lopid (gemfibrozil), Lipitor (atorvastatin Ca), Pravachol (pravastatin), Zocor (simvastatin), Crestor (rosuvastatin Ca), Vytorin (ezetimibe/simvastatin), Zetia (ezetimibe), niacin, and lovastatin. |
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antiplatelet drugs |
Help reduce the occurrence of and death from vascular events such as heart attacks and strokes. Aspirin is considered to be the reference standard antiplatelet drug and is recommended by the American Heart Association for use in patients with a wide range of cardiovascular disease. Aspirin helps keep platelets fro sticking together to form clots. Plavix (clopidogrel) is approved by the FDA for many of the same indications as aspirin. It is recommended for patients for whom aspirin fails to achieve a therapeutic benefit. |
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anticoagulants |
Act to prevent blood clots from forming. They are known as "blood thinners" and are used in primary and secondary prevention of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), myocardial infractions (MI), and cerebrovascular accidents (strokes; CVAs). Ex: Coumadin (warfarin sodium) and heparin |
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thrombolytic agents |
Act to dissolve an existing thrombus when administered soon after its occurrence. They are often referred to a tissue plasminogen activators (tPA, TPA) and can reduce the chance of dying after a myocardial infraction by 50%. Unless contraindicated, the drug should be administered within 6 hours of the onset of chest pain. In some hospitals, the time period for administering thrombolytic agents has been extended to 12 and 24 hours. These agents dissolve the clot, reopen the artery, restore blood flow to the heart, and prevent further damage to the myocardium. Bleeding is the most common and potentially serious compilation encountered during thrombolytic therapy. They are also used in ischemic strokes, deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolisms to clear a blocked artery and avoid permanent damage to the perfused tissue. Note: thrombolytic therapy in hemorrhagic strokes is contraindicated because its use would prolong bleeding into the intracranial space an cause further damage. Ex: Streptase (streptokinase) and Activase (alteplase) |
