treatment of infection part 1 Flashcards
what is infection?
an infection occurs when microorganism invades a host, attaches to host cell receptors, and multiples to a sufficient number to cause injury
infection stimulates…
bodies immune response
what can cause infection?
- bacteria
- viruses
- fungi
- parasites
we have lots of bacteria in our body, it only becomes a problem when…
they invade spaces they dont belong
ex. ecoli
what are the systemic signs/symptoms of infection
- fever
- chils
- sweats
- diffuse myalgia (muscle aches)
- tachycardia
- fatigue, malaise, lethargy
- tachypnea
- altered mental status
- hypotension (worst - septic shock)
what are the local signs/symptoms of infection
- pain
- erythema (or other discoloration)
- edema
- heat
- exudate (can be from wound or coughed up)
what labs can be expected for signs/symptoms of infection
- cultures (blood/urine/sputum) to see what pathogen is in there
- increased or decreased WBC
what host factors may increase risk of infection
- imapaird skin integrity (first way to prevent pathogens from entering)
- impaired blood supply (need to get those WBCs in there)
- neutropenia (low WBC)
- malnutrition (need proteins, vitamins, and nutrients)
- poor hygiene
- suppression of normal bacterial flora
- immune system supression
- diabetes mellitus (creates environment pathogens love)
- advanced age
name some common bacteria and what they cause
- streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumonia)
- E. coli (UTIs)
- staph aureus (skin infections and open wounds)
describe streptococcus pneumoniae
seen a lot in pneumonia, usually occurs when patient doesn’t have a good cough reflex so they cant expel the bateria
describe E coli
- normal flora in the intestinal tract
- in other parts of the body it is a pathogen
- frequently seen in UTIs and enters the urinary tract though stool
describe staph aureus
- part of our normal flora of the skin and resp track
- spreads by direct contact with people who are infected or carriers
- causes skin infections and may occur in open wounds
what are some general principles of antimicrobial therapy
- match the right drug to the right bug
- empriric (broad spectrum) versus definitive (narrow spectrum) = use broad spectrum only until we found out what is causing the infection because it can kill normal flora and cause super infection)
- sometimes combination needed
- account for host characteristics
- benefit the individual and community
- watch for improvement in s/sx once drug started(first 24-26hrs are crucial, if symptoms are not improving it may be a resistant bacteria)
what are the steps to accurate diagnosis
1) obtain exposure history (school/work/travel)
2) determine site of infection (may be difficult)
3) define the host characteristics
4) establish a microbial diagnosis (get a culture and figure it out)
what should you always do before starting antibiotics
get cultures
describe the nursing process for infection treatment
- assessment of signs/symptoms of the infection
- assess allergies (lots of antimicrobials can cause reactions)
- assess for advers reactions
- patient education
whats important to include in patient education for antimicrobials
- infection control practices
- diet
- take all prescribed doses (only stop if provider says to)
- discard all discontinued drugs
- what side effects to expect
- report allergic reactions
name the most common adverse reactions to anti-infective therapy
- kidney damage(can make crystals that block urine flow - stay hydrated)
- neurotoxicity(range from mild ototoxicity to complete neuromuscular block or seizures)
- hypersensitivity reactions
- GI toxicity (more of a side effect, seen especially with oral antibiotics, N/V/D)
- superinfections (occurs when we wipe out our normal flora, usually caused by broad spectrum, yeast infections and cdiff are possible)
the nurse is planning to administer an anti-infective agent to the patient. the nurse knows treatment is effective when what occurs?
improvement in symptoms
we want to see improvement in symptoms in 24-36 hours after the antibiotic is started. if symptoms do not improve, we are worried about antibiotc resistance
describe aminoglycosides and what they are used for
- super potent anitmicrobial
- often used in combination therapy
- narrow therapeutic index
- used for severe infections like sepsis, resp/urinary tract, and intra abdominal
give examples of aminoglycosides
- Gentamicin
- Neomycin
- Amikacin
- Tobramycin
- Streptomycin
gentamicin is most common