Antibiotics & Antivirals
When a nursing student is asked about the mode of action of ampicillin, what would they say?
a. Ampicillin is bactericidal
b. Ampicillin is bacteriostatic
c. Ampicillin is a broad spectrum antibiotic
d. Ampicillin only works against gram (-) bacteria
a. Ampicillin is bactericidal
Penicillins are bactericidal drugs, meaning they inhibit the synthesis of DNA.
Ampicillin, an extended spectrum penicillin, is effective against gram positive as well as gram negative microorganisms.
You are a nurse working in an infectious wound center. Your first patient was diagnosed with oral candidiasis and was self-treating the infection with an old bottle of penicillin she was prescribed for a cut she got with a dirty knife. The patient is frustrated that she needs to purchase an antifungal treatment when she has penicillin at home. Which of the following is the best response for the nurse to explain to the patient?
A. Fungi have many protective layers that make them resistant to antibiotics
B. Oral candidiasis is usually treated with penicillin, you must just be using an expired bottle
C. Fungi cell walls have proteins that make them too rigid to be penetrated by antibiotics
D. Fungi have become resistant to penicillin because of doctors who have overprescribed antibiotics and created antibiotic-resistant strains
A. Fungi have many protective layers that make them resistant to antibiotics
Before administering a dose of an antidysrhythmic drug to a patient, what is the priority nursing assessment?
A. Measure urine output and specific gravity.
B. Check apical pulse and blood pressure.
C. Evaluate peripheral pulses and level of consciousness.
D. Obtain temperature and pulse oximetry on room air.
B. Check apical pulse and blood pressure.
You are a nurse manager examining patient rooms. A patient on your floor is receiving oseltamivir for a respiratory virus. You walk into their room and notice some concerning findings. You should educate the nurse that which precautions should be taken for a patient receiving oseltamivir?
A. Droplet precautions
B. Fall precautions
C. Constant spO2 monitoring
D. Seizure precautions
B. Fall precautions
Meropenem (a cephalosporin) is contraindicated in patients with what condition?
a. Hearing loss
b. Diabetes
c. Hepatomegaly
d. CKD
d. CKD
Kidney dysfunction is CI for patients taking cephalosporins.
Why are cephalosporins bad for CKD?
A nurse is reviewing the chart of a patient receiving a new antifungal medication and notices a major contraindication to administering the medication. Which of the following would cause the nurse to hold the dose of the antifungal?
A. Open, bloody sore
B. Allergy to the antifungal
C. BUN of 56
D. Congestive heart failure
B. Allergy to the antifungal
Which drug class is used to treat both hypertension and antidysrhythmias?
A. Direct-acting vasodilators
B. Alpha-adrenergic-blocking
C. Sodium channel blockers
D. Calcium channel blockers
D. Calcium channel blockers
A nurse is checking on her patients' labs from a recent blood draw. She sees the patient's serum alanine aminotransferase is elevated. What does this indicate?
a. Nephrotoxicity
b. Risk of MI
c. Hepatotoxicity
d. Muscle damage
c. Hepatotoxicity
ALT stands for Alanine aminotransferase. What is AST?
Which side effects should the nurse include in his education to a patient taking an aminoglycoside (SATA)
a. Heart palpitations
b. Ears ringing
c. Dizziness
d. Tendon rupture
e. Decreased urine output
f. Photosensitivity
a. Heart palpitations
b. Ears ringing
c. Dizziness
d. Decreased urine output
Name some aminoglycosides:
A nurse is caring for a patient receiving amphotericin B and notices that her patient is having an adverse reaction. Their patient has a temperature of 38.7 degrees celsius, states “I’m freezing”, and is visibly shaking. The nurse should ask the doctor to order which of the following medications to relieve their symptoms?
A. Opioid analgesic
B. Ibuprofen
C. Corticosteroid
D. Diuretic
B. Ibuprofen
A nurse is to administer 30 mg of furosemide (Lasix) twice daily to a client with congestive heart failure (CHF). The vial contains 40 mg/mL. Which is the correct daily total dose to administer?
1.5 mL
A nurse assessing a patient who is 12 years old should associate which complication with the patient's receiving tetracycline as a younger child?
a. Delay in long bone growth
b. Early onset of puberty
c. Severe face and body acne
d. Discoloration of the teeth
d. Discoloration of the teeth
A patient will begin taking the protease inhibitor combination Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir). What information will the nurse include when teaching the patient about dietary changes?
a. Consume a low-cholesterol diet.
b. Consume more acidic foods.
c. Take the pill on an empty stomach.
d. Take the pill with fatty foods.
a. Consume a low-cholesterol diet.
Protease inhibitors generally cause elevations of cholesterol and triglycerides, so patients should be counseled to consume a low-fat diet.
These medications are also hard on the liver.
You are giving patient education to a patient who has been prescribed mefloquine. As a nurse, you are aware that a patient should be educated about which adverse effect because the medication is concentrated in the brain.
A. Hepatic dysfunction
B. Malaise
C. Loss of hair
D. Visual changes
D. Visual changes
You are reviewing the medication regime of a patient who has been prescribed diltiazem, a calcium channel blocker, for the treatment of their stage 2 hypertension. You are about to administer the dose, but hold the medication after noticing they are currently taking which of the following medications?
A. Cyclosporine
B. Sumycin
C. Penicillin
D. Sulfanomides
A. Cyclosporine
Which medications does the nurse identify as having antibacterial properties? (Select all that apply.)
A. Rifampin
B. Zidovudine
C. Imipenem
D. Amphotericin B
E. Amantadine
A. Rifampin
C. Imipenem
Zidovudine and amantadine are antiviral drugs. Amphotericin B is an antifungal drug. Rifampin and imipenem are antibacterial drugs.
Which types of antiviral drugs are used to treat HIV infection? (Select all that apply.)
A. Fusion inhibitors
B. Protease inhibitors
C. Neuraminidase inhibitors
D. Reverse transcriptase inhibitors
E. Nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors
A. Fusion inhibitors
B. Protease inhibitors
E. Nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors
You are about to administer a patient’s first dosage of an antimalarial medication. Your patient is a 25-year-old, married female. As a highly educated nurse with your bachelor's, you know it is important to educate this patient about which of the following adverse effects?
A. “This may cause some indigestion”
B. “Do not get pregnant until 2 months following the completion of this therapy”
C. “If you begin to have migraines, call 911”
D. “Fever means the medication is working, do not take antipyretics”
B. “Do not get pregnant until 2 months following the completion of this therapy”
You are caring for an 85-year-old patient that weighs 336.6 lbs. The primary care provider orders 175 mg TID captopril PO for the patient. The recommended dosage range is 3.5-5 mg/kg/day. Is the prescribed dose within a safe range for your patient?
A. Yes, the safe range for my patient is 525 - 800 mg/day
B. Yes, the safe range for my patient is 535.5 - 765 mg/day
C. No, the safe range for my patient is 530 - 825 mg/day
D. No, the safe range for my patient is 535.5 - 765 mg/day
D. No, the safe range for my patient is 535.5 - 765 mg/day
Your patient has been prescribed vitamin B for their high cholesterol. When your patient returns for a follow-up visit, which of the following adverse reactions would you identify as expected?
A. Hives
B. Red, flushed skin
C. Dyspepsia
D. Fevers
B. Red, flushed skin