Heart Failure Drugs

Question 1

What is the use of Cardiotonics (anti-heart failure drugs)?

Answer 1

To make the heart beat more effectively

Question 2

What are the causes of Congenital Heart Failure?

Answer 2

CAD-heart isn’t receiving oxygen it needs

Cardiomyopathy-muscular disease of the heart

Question 3

What are compensatory mechanisms of decreased cardiac output?

Answer 3

SNS kicks in to try and compensate for Heart problems

Question 4

Will age increase cardiac workload?

Answer 4

Yes

Question 5

What are considerations for elderly and children on cardiotonic drugs?

Answer 5

Children with heart defects use this need to know apical for full minute
Elderly more susceptible to digtoxicity due to renal impairment and altered metabolism

Question 6

What is the most common drug given for heart failure?

Answer 6

Digoxin-cheap and easy to come by and is ideal

Question 7

What is the action and indication of Digoxin?

Answer 7

Allows more Ca to enter myocardial cell during depolarization
Therapeutic dose is very close to toxic dose
Has a long half life which increases toxicity

Question 8

What should be considered when giving digoxin?

Answer 8

Ensure patient has good renal function

If becoming toxic the patient will start to see yellow halos around people and objects

Question 9

What are the S+S of digtoxicity?

Answer 9

anemia, nausea, vomiting, malaise, depression, irregular cardiac rhythm, atrial arrhytmias, VTAC, VFIB
-Digoxing antidote=Digimmune-fab

Question 10

Drug-to-drug interactions with digoxin?

Answer 10

Verapamil, amiodarone, quinidine, quinine, erythromycin, tetracycline, or cyclosporine=increase therapeutic effects
Cholestyramine, charcoal, colestipol, bleomycin, cyclophosphamide, or methotrexate=decrease therapeutic effects