Essay Sample: Pharmacological Effects of Amiodarone in the Management of Arrhythmias and Nursing Implications

Amiodarone is a drug that treats serious irregular heartbeats such as ventricular Arrhythmias. It works by inhibiting particular electrical signals in the heart that can lead to irregular heartbeat. There are pharmacological effects and nursing implications associated with its use in the management of Arrhythmias.

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Application of Amiodarone can result in low blood sugar or hypotension which stems from a non-neurological condition of the heart. Similarly, it can result in hypersensitivity reaction leading to swelling of the skin and hives. Some patients have reported effects on their pulmonary systems such as respiratory distress, bronchiolitis, and pulmonary hemorrhage (Epstein et al., 2018). In extreme cases, using Amiodarone can have an adverse effect on the heart by leading to congestive heart failure (CHF). CHF is the heart's inability to keep up with normal functions such as efficient pumping of blood to the rest of the body (Cooper et al., 2017). Other less severe pharmacological effects include fatigue, headaches, constipation, loss of appetite, and body weakness.

These present the need for nurses to monitor their patients and understand their medical history and sensitivity to medication so that they can establish how to ameliorate the side effects. There is a need for patient and family education on the right use of Amiodarone such as dosage and timing to prevent some of the complications (Vyskocilova, Grundmann, Duricova, & Kacirova, 2017). Nurses are advised to carry out a subjective assessment of the patients and their needs to ensure that they are no fatalities from the complications.

Therefore, in light of the pharmacological implications of using Amiodarone, nurses should understand their patients including their medical history and possible allergic reactions so that they can prevent fatalities and the occurrence of the side effects.

References

Cooper, L. B., Mentz, R. J., Edwards, L. B., Wilk, A. R., Rogers, J. G., Patel, C. B., ... & Lund,

L. H. (2017). Amiodarone use in patients listed for heart transplant is associated with increased 1-year post-transplant mortality. The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation, 36(2), 202-210. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5241253/

Epstein, A. E., Olshansky, B., Naccarelli, G. V., Kennedy Jr, J. I., Murphy, E. J., &

Goldschlager, N. (2016). Practical management guide for clinicians who treat patients with amiodarone. The American Journal of Medicine, 129(5), 468-475. Retrieved from http://daneshyari.com/article/preview/2725188.pdf

Vyskocilova, E. H., Grundmann, M., Duricova, J., & Kacirova, I. (2017). Therapeutic monitoring of amiodarone: pharmacokinetics and evaluation of the relationship between effect and dose/concentration. Biomedical Papers of the Medical Faculty of Palacky University in Olomouc, 161(2). Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Milan_Grundmann2/publication/315913025_Therapeutic_monitoring_of_amiodarone_Pharmacokinetics_and_evaluation_of_the_relationship_between_effect_and_doseconcentration/links/5a27e3f9aca2727dd883ded5/Therapeutic-monitoring-of-amiodarone-Pharmacokinetics-and-evaluation-of-the-relationship-between-effect-and-dose-concentration.pdf