cardiovascular 2 Flashcards
What is an example of a cardiac glycoside that acts on the contractile force of the heart?
Digoxin
What is digoxin used to manage?
Supraventricular tachydysrhythmias like atrial tachycardia, atrial flutter, and atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular rate.
Describe the mechanisms by which digoxin manages supraventricular tachydysrhythmias.
- Slows conduction through the AV node to reduce ventricular rate
- Increases parasympathetic nervous system activity to decrease SA node activity
What type of arrhythmia is one at risk for when using digoxin?
Ventricular fibrillation
What was digoxin originally used to treat?
CHF, but it is no longer considered a first-line therapy.
How does digoxin increase contractility of the heart (inotropic)?
Digoxin inhibits the Na-K ATP transport system. This causes an increase in intracellular Na, which increases intracellular calcium, which causes contractility of the heart.
Which patient type should you be careful giving digoxin to?
Renal patients, because it digoxin is renally cleared.
What does digoxin’s protein binding tell us?
Digoxin is only 25% protein bound, so there are higher free drug concentrations. That means it is primarily eliminated unchanged by the kidneys, and is strongly influenced by renal function.
Describe the therapeutic range of digoxin. (Narrow? Wide?)
It has a NARROW therapeutic range. Its therapeutic effects are at 35% of its fatal dose.
What is the therapeutic range vs. the toxic range of digoxin?
Therapeutic range: 0.5-2.5 ng/mL
Toxic range > 3 ng/mL
What is toxicity of digoxin precipitated by?
Potassium depletion, such as by diuretics or alkalosis
What are the symptoms of digoxin toxicity?
Nausea/vomiting vision changes (yellow-green halos), atrial/ventricular dysrhythmias
How do you treat digoxin toxicity?
- Identify/correct inciting cause (hypoK, hypoMg, hyperCa)
- Treat dysrhythmias (phenytoin, lidocaine, atropine)
- Artificial pacing if complete heart block
- Fab fragments (digitalis antibodies)
Which drugs have interactions with digoxin?
Quinidine & Sympathomimetics
How does quinidine interact with digoxin?
Quinidine displaces digoxin from tissue binding sites.
How do sympathomimetics interact with digoxin?
Sympathomimetics could precipitate dysrhythmias.
What are examples of Class I antiarrhythmic drugs?
Quinidine, procainamide, lidocaine, phenytoin, flecainide
What kind of drugs are quinidine, procainamide, lidocaine, phenytoin, flecainide?
Class I antiarrhythmics - Sodium channel blockers
What kind of channels do Class I Antiarrhythmics block?
Sodium channels
How do Class I antiarrhythmics work?
They decrease intracellular sodium levels, which decreases intracellular calcium levels. This decreases myocardial depolarization rate and conduction velocity.
Which antiarrhythmic drug is often used for treatment of ventricular tachycardia and suppression of PVCs? What dose?
Lidocaine, 2 mg/kg IV – then 1-4 mg/min infusion
How is lidocaine metabolized?
Hepatically
What are symptoms of CNS toxicity by lidocaine?
Depression, apnea, seizure
What are examples of Class II antiarrhythmics?
Beta-blockers
What are examples of Class III antiarrhythmics?
Amiodarone, sotalol, bretylium
What type of channel blockers are Class III antiarrhythmics?
Potassium
How do Class III antiarrhythmics work?
They block potassium channels to prolong cardiac depolarization and action potential duration. This decreases the proportion of the cardiac cycle when the myocardium is excitable.
Which Class III antiarrhythmic prolongs the refractory period in ALL cardiac tissues?
Amiodarone
What type of effects does amiodarone have aside from Class III?
Class I (Na channel blocking) Class II (B blocking) Class IV (Ca channel blocking)
which calcium blocker drug is the first line medication for supraventricular tachydysrhythmia
Diltiazem (cardizem)
diltiazem blocks CA2+ channel of _____node
AV
what is the dose of Diltiazem
0.25mg/kg (~20mg) slow IV bolus over 2min
second dose: 0.35mg/kg, given 2-15 min after 1st dose
infusion rate of 5-15mg/hr (most start at 10mg/hr)
Diltiazem has some role in control of _______
chronic HTN,
cause peripheral arterial vasodilation
Diltiazem has the elimination half life of ____
4-6 hrs, 20hr for metabolites
what are the side effects of Diltiazem?
dizziness, headache, flushing gingival hyperplasia (overgrowth of gum)