Antifungal Drug

Question: Describe about antifungal drug? Answer: 1. Ms. Unger is prescribed amphotericin B since she is suffering from Aspergillosis pneumonia. Aspergillosis is a fungal species that causes pneumonia in patients. Amphotericin B is a antifungal drug that is used intravenously for fungal infections and may be considered as the only proper treatment for fungal infections (Tripathi, 2013). 2. The contraindications for Amphotericin B are kidney disease, low amount of magnesium, low amount of potassium, increased mast cells. Hypersensitivity to the drug is also to be considered. 3. Some other drugs other than Amphotericin B that can be given to the patient include oral Itraconazole. This drug provides complete or partial resolution of Aspergillosis infection. Other drugs may include Caspofungin and Voriconazole. Itraconazole is an antifungal agent that may be given orally or intravenously. This drug has a broader spectrum of activity and is, in particular, effective against Aspergillus. Caspofungin is effective against invasive Aspergillosis and is an empirical therapy. In patients with disease in the refractory state, this drug can be used. Voriconazole is the antifungal medication that is used to treat invasive and serious fungal infections. These are mainly used in patients who are immunocompromised and have invasive aspergillosis (Brown et al., 2012). 4. Core variables that are usually considered while assessing the drug therapy of a patient are the lifestyle, lifespan, habits, diet, inherited traits, culture and environment (Lam et al., 2015). For the treatment of the patient, in this case, the patient variables that are to be considered are blood count and vital signs. 5. Some aspects of core drug knowledge that are especially relevant to consider because of the interaction with patient variables are pharmacokinetics, pharmacotherapeutics, and pharmacotherapeutics. Pharmacokinetics is the changes occurring to the drug when it is inside the body. Pharmacotherapeutics is the desired therapeutic effect of the drug and pharmacodynamics is the impact of the drug on the body of the patients. 6. The findings from the nursing assessment that demonstrate the effectiveness of drug therapy with Amphotericin B are normal levels of sodium, potassium, chloride, glucose and creatinine. 7. The findings from the nursing assessment that demonstrate the potential adverse effects of Amphotericin B are the body temperature of 103.1 degree F and pulse rate at 120 bpm. The common side effects of Amphotericin B drug therapy are fever and irregular heartbeats. The normal body temperature of a human is 98.6 degrees F, and the normal pulse rate of a person is 80 to 100 bpm (Hall, 2015). 8. Several nursing actions are indicated to maximize therapeutic effects. These include proper administration of drugs, regular and effective monitoring of the patient, checking the vital signs on a regular basis, giving proper diet and consulting the physician in cases of emergencies. 9. Several nursing actions are indicated to minimize therapeutic effects. These include medication error while administration of drugs, irregular monitoring of the patient, improper diet. 10. The patient has to be taught about the drug therapies that are used for her. The main feature that the patient needs to be taught is the side effects of the drugs. The patient has to be informed that she must not stop taking the medications without consultation of the physician. She must be reporting at the earliest when any symptoms of side effects occur. The patient must be taught to respond appropriately to the medications. Referecnes Brown, G. D., Denning, D. W., Gow, N. A., Levitz, S. M., Netea, M. G., White, T. C. (2012). Hidden killers: human fungal infections.Science translational medicine,4(165), 165rv13-165rv13. Hall, J. E. (2015).Guyton and Hall textbook of medical physiology. Elsevier Health Sciences. Lam, A. C., Shivanand, P., Ayer, A. D., Hatamkhany, Z., Weyers, R. G., Gupta, S. K., ... Wright, J. D. (2015).U.S. Patent No. 9,000,038. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Tripathi, K. D. (2013).Essentials of medical pharmacology. JP Medical Ltd.