Respiratory care - Hospital Flashcards

1
Q

Roles of respiratory hospital pharmacist

A
  • Medicine optimisation eg. Inhaler technique evaluation
  • Ward referrals for complex patients
  • Monitor high risk patients
  • patient telephone support clinic
  • Clinical audits
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Drug interactions in asthma/COPD

A
  • Patients already on oral theophylline - careful with aminophylline infusions
  • These are drugs that lower potassium (hypokalaemia)
    [aminophylline is used to prevent wheezing/shortness of breath]
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Drug-disease interactions in asthma/COPD

A
  • These are diseases that may be effected by drugs used for COPD
  • Diabetes
  • Cardiovascular disease (watch potassium)
  • Hypertension
  • Glaucoma (optic nerve connected to the brain is damaged)
  • Liver disease
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Symptoms of acute severe asthma

A
  • Severe breathlessness
  • Tachypnoea
  • Tachycardia
  • Silent chest
  • Cyanosis
  • Accessory muscle use
  • Altered consciousness
  • Decreased O2 saturations
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Name the levels of severity in asthma

A
  • Chronic: long term
  • Severe acute: increasingly worsening
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Name five treatments if severe acute asthma symptoms

A
  1. SABA e.g. Salbutamol - B2 agonist bronchodilator
  2. Steroids such as prednisolone
  3. Ipratropium bromide - this relaxes muscle and SABA relaxes bronch, so both occur
  4. Magnesium sulphate - also a bronchodilator
  5. Aminophylline - only given under supervision from senior staff. IV form, if other treatments don’t work
    If the first one doesn’t work then add the second one and so on
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What is a b2 agonist drug?

A
  • Agonists mimim natural action , causing activation
  • Beta-2-agonists act directly on beta-2-receptors
  • This causes smooth muscle relaxation and dilated airways
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Salbutamol as a treatment for severe acute asthma?

A
  • Its a b2 agonist drug so a bronchodilator
  • Can use a nebuliser
  • Works quickly in higher doses
  • Can be given as IV
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Steroids as treatment for severe acute asthma?

A
  • Prednisolone 40-50mg for at least five days
  • Reduce mortality, relapses, subsequent hospital admission and requirement for β2agonist therapy
  • Earlier given the better
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Ipratropium bromide treatment for severe acute asthma?

A
  • Greater bronchodilation than a β2agonist alone
  • leading to a faster recovery and shorter duration of
    admission
  • 500 micrograms every 4-6 hours (usually QDS)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Magnesium sulphate for treatment of severe acute asthma?

A
  • Bronchodilator when given IV or nebulised (only IV
    currently recommended)
  • 1.2-2g IV infusion over 20 minutes
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What is a nebuliser?

A

 Converts a solution of a drug into a fine spray
 Oxygen, compressed air or ultrasonic power is
used to break up the liquid drug
 Delivered through a face mask

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

When are nebulisers used?

A
  • Severe asthma attacks when a patient is fatigue or out of breath
  • Young children or elderly with cognitive or physical disabilities
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Aminophylline for treatment of severe acute asthma?

A
  • For patients with near fatal asthma or with poor response to initial treatment
  • IV form typically
  • Check plasma levels before aminophylline
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Treatment for chronic asthma? The stepwise plan according to BTS/SIGN

A
  • Provide a personalised asthma actions plan PAAP
  • Start with SABA e.g. salbutamol
  • Then add ICS if required e.g.
  • Then ADD long actinig b2 agonists LABA as well as ICS and SABA
  • Then increase the dose of ICS and add LTRA
  • For chronic asthma usually specialist therapy
  • annotate
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Specialist therapies for asthma?

A
17
Q

What is maintenance and reliever MART therapy?

A
  • Step three and above in BTS
  • LABA and ICS in combination
  • Maintenance TWICE daily dose
  • Same inhaler can be used as reliever
  • Review treatment plan if use as a reliever regularly
18
Q

Does asthma treatment need to be reviewed?

A
  • Regular review important
  • Take into account:
     Severity of asthma
     Side effects
     Time on current dose
     Beneficial effect achieved
     Patient’s preference
  • Reductions every 3 months,
    reducing by 25-50% each time
19
Q

Side effects of asthma drugs

A
20
Q

ics advice

A
  • Reduce dose gradually
  • Patients on prolonged high dose ICS are at risk of systemic side effects
  • Advise healthcare team if fall ill
  • Visit GP if you feel worsening fatigue, muscle weakness, dizziness or loss of appetite
21
Q

What is the difference between ICS, saba lama and laba and combination therapy

A
  • ICS focuses on controlling inflammation in asthma
  • SABA, LAMA and LABA are bronchodilators. They relax muscle instead of anti inflammation
  • Combination therapy is for chronic asthmatics and offers bronchodilation and anti-inflammation e.g. LABA and ics
22
Q

What is COPD?

A
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
  • Airway obstruction is caused by chronic
    inflammation, often due to environmental
    exposure to toxic particles or gases, e.g.
    tobacco
  • COPD also includes chronic bronchitis, emphysema, bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis
23
Q

Risk factors for COPD

A
  • Tobacco smoking
  • Occupational exposure
  • Air pollution
  • Genetics
  • Asthma
24
Q

Potential complications of COPD?

A
  • Reduced QoL, increased morbidity and
    mortality
  • Depression and anxiety – common
    comorbidities
  • Cor pulmonale- right sided HF secondary
    to lung disease, due to pulmonary
    hypertension, caused by chronic hypoxia
  • Frequent chest infections
  • Lung cancer: risk factor
  • Muscle wasting, loss of appetite and
    weight loss: patients have increased
    nutritional requirements
  • General malaise/ fatigue/ lack of
    concentration
25
Q

Describing the treatment plan for COPD

A

SABA – short acting beta agonist
SAMA – short acting muscarinic
antagonist
LABA – long-acting beta agonist
LAMA – long-acting muscarinic
antagonist
ICS – inhaled corticosteroid

26
Q

Other options for COPD treatment excluding the NICE ones

A
27
Q

What are the points to review when reviewing therapy for chronic asthma

A
  • Step up or down in terms of medication?
  • Is MART required?
  • Side effects?
28
Q

COPD exacerbation symptoms

A
  • Pursed lip breathing
  • Acute confusion
  • Marked reduction in activities of daily living
  • Cough
  • Wheeze
  • Fever
29
Q

How to manage COPD exacerbations? Stepwise approach

A
  • Inhaled therapy: increase dose of SABA
  • Oral therpy: steroids like prednisolone 30mg
  • Antibiotics
  • IV therapy e.g. theophylline
  • Ventilation therapy
30
Q

Side effects of inhaled therapy

A
31
Q

Counselling for COPD

A

• Explain when and how to use inhalers, demonstrate correct technique for using them
• Preventer vs reliever; importance of using preventer inhaler regularly even when well
• Know when inhaler needs to be changed and how to replace it
• Using a spacer and mouth-rinsing will avoid the most common side effects of ICS
• Provide steroid cards as appropriate and counsel patients on side-effects
• Cleaning their spacer correctly, once a month, non-ionic detergent, air dry, replace once visible deposits on spacer wall
• Aware of any asthma triggers (e.g. dust mites, pet hair), how to avoid/ cope with them
• Discuss personal asthma action plan (PAAP) and how to respond at first sign of an exacerbation
• Lifestyle advice, vaccinations

32
Q

Patient is taking SABA, LAMA, LABA. He COPD is exaberating what would you give?

A

Steroids. Prednisolone 30mg, one a day fer five days.

33
Q

Named examples of SABA

A
34
Q

Examples of LAMA LABA combination drugs

A
35
Q

Examples of LAMA LABA combination drugs

A
36
Q

Exmaples of ICS LABA LAMA combo drugs

A