Special populations Flashcards
what age range qualifies a person to be “pediatric”
0-18 years old
is treating pediatrics hard? if so why
yes, because 0-18 has such a wide array of body size and functions
what is the challenge in the pediatric populations
to find the correct drug to treat the patient AND identify the dosage forms that are appropriate and convenient for administration, including acceptance by the patient
just because a patient is of geriatric age, will they have geriatric bodies?
no, some people will have the organs of a 45 year old when they are 59
explain the function of your organs as life progresses according to the bell curve
you start off your life and your organs are just starting up, so they are not functioning very well. you reach the middle of your life and you reach the peak functioning of your organs, but as you cross over to the end stages of life your organ function begins to go down again and they slowly start not working as well
are children small adults?
no
what percentage of medications are FDA approved for children use and why is it this number?
20% and it is so low because no one wants to volunteer their children to be tested using various medications that may or may not be safe
what does it mean to be a therapeutic orphan and what patient population is this relevant to?
pediatrics, and it means that they do not have FDA approval for many dosage formulations and are usually left out of the medication guidelines for medications and treatments because they are not FDA approved for use on children
what two considerations must you make for children when it comes to their therapeutic regimen besides pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties?
is this patient able to use it and is it going to be accepted by the patient? aka can they use it and will they use it?
what is the problem with oral dosage formulations in children and what are some alternative solid dosage formulations?
most children on average can not swallow a tablet until 6 years of age, and even when they can the provider is limited by the formulation that the tablet comes in from the manufacturer. some alternative still solid dosage forms include:
- ODTs
- chewable tablets
- and granules that can be mixed with liquid and drank
what is great about liquid formulations for pediatric patients?
they are easier to swallow and you are also not limited on the dose that comes from the manufacturer. you can dilute it as much as you want to for the child
what are some problems with elixirs and pediatric patients? what are the two bad ingredients they can contain?
they contain ethanol and propylene glycol
what can ethanol do to a child?
they can cause CNS depression, confusion, GI upset
what can propylene glycol cause for children?
hypotension, arrhythmias, and hemolysis
what may happen to the amount of drug that can dissolve in a liquid formulation if you take the alcohol or propylene glycol out of the formulation?
the amount of drug that can dissolve in it will go down because that is what the alcohol was there for