Pharmacotherapy for Cardiovascular Disorders

Safety, quality, and efficiency are important in the management of health problems in nursing practice. Advanced nurse practitioners ensure that medication prescription considers patient, medication, and comorbid factors that affect the realization of the desired treatment outcomes. Therefore, this paper explores the effect of age on pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic processes in the assigned patient. The patient has a history of transient ischemic attack and atrial fibrillation. The patient also has been diagnosed with hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease, and hyperlipidemia. The patient is currently using several medications that include warfarin, aspirin, metformin, glyburide, atenolol, and Motrin.

Effect of Age on Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Processes

The multiple comorbidities the patient in this case study has points to the increased likelihood that he/she is elderly. Advancing age is associated with increased risk of comorbid conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, ischemic heart disease, and mental health issues. Age significantly affects pharmacokinetic and pharmacokinetic processes. Aging is associated with significant changes in the body’s processes involved in drug absorption, metabolism, and excretion. First, aging reduces first-pass metabolism due to decline in blood flow and liver mass. The reduction increases the first-pass metabolism that drugs metabolized in the liver undergo (van den Anker et al., 2018). Aging also results in changes in drug distribution. For example, water-soluble drugs have reduced distribution volume due to changes such as decreased gastrointestinal motility and elimination, hence, high serum levels in the elderly.

Aging also affects processes such as reduction in gastric sections, emptying, and splanchnic blood flow. The absorption capacity of the intestines also reduces. These changes affect pharmacokinetic processes, including drug absorption and the realization of the desired therapeutic effectiveness of the prescribed medications in the elderly (Cossart et al., 2019). Aging also lowers protein binding of drugs. The reduction is attributed to the decline in the concentrations of albumin with the advancing age. Drug clearance reduces significantly with aging. Changes such as the reduction in renal clearance affects the elimination of water-soluble drugs, digoxin, diuretics, and lithium among others (Farkouh et al., 2020). Therefore, the effects of change on pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics require a careful approach to prescribing medications for children and the elderly.

Impact of Changes on Recommended Drug Therapy

Changes in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic processes affects the recommended drug therapy for the patient in the case study. For example, changes in the renal clearance of drug metabolites affect the patient’s health and wellbeing by increasing renal toxicity and high serum concentration of the drug. As a result, advanced nurse practitioners minimize nephrotoxic medications in such cases to optimize treatment effectiveness and minimize further deterioration in the client’s status (Farkouh et al., 2020). Skin changes such as redistribution of fat and adipose tissue affects the absorption of medications administered via intramuscular or subcutaneous routes. A reduction in gastric emptying and production of gastric juice may also affect absorption of drugs (van den Anker et al., 2018). Consequently, advanced nurse practitioners consider alternative routes of medication administration such as through the intravenous routes to increase drug absorption and distribution.

Liver is the largest organ involved in the metabolism of most drugs through the first-pass mechanism. However, liver diseases such as hepatitis and cirrhosis affect liver’s ability to undertake these roles. The patient in the case study has multiple comorbidities, which predisposes him to hepato-renal complications due to the disease processes and polypharmacy (Díez-Villanueva et al., 2019). Therefore, healthcare providers involved in developing the plan of the patient’s care should minimize the administration of hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic medications to prevent harm. An example is withholding aspirin due to its adverse hepatic effects.

Improving Patient’s Treatment Plan

The client’s treatment requires some improvements. Firstly, the client has hyperlipidemia. As a result, I would prescribe statins to help in lowering body lipid levels. This decision will lower harmful triglycerides, which improves cardiovascular symptoms and type 2 diabetes that the client has. The second improvement that I would consider is eliminating warfarin therapy (Díez-Villanueva et al., 2019). Combined use of warfarin and aspirin increases the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding and ulcers. Consequently, prescribing a platelet inhibitor such as Fondaparinux is appropriate to ensure safety in the treatment process. I would also perform liver function and renal function tests to help in developing an effective treatment plan. The results will help in adjusting the current plan. For example, I will replace Motrin with Tylenol if liver function tests are normal. In addition, I will select one oral hypoglycemic agent if the patient reports glycemic crises such as hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia (Strain et al., 2018). For instance, I will replace glyburide with dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibitors due to their associated enhanced therapeutic effectiveness.

Conclusion

In summary, safety is crucial in developing treatment plan for patients with multiple comorbidities. Advanced nurse practitioners should consider the different factors that affect pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the prescribed medications. Age is a crucial factor that affects these processes. Factors such as decreased renal and hepatic clearance of medications affect their effectiveness in disease management. Advanced nurse practitioners should make sound decisions to minimize the administration of drugs that may worsen the declining functioning in these organs. Therefore, I will improve the treatment plan for the patient in the case study to ensure safety, quality, and efficiency in the treatment of the comorbidities.

References

Cossart, A. R., Cottrell, W. N., Campbell, S. B., Isbel, N. M., & Staatz, C. E. (2019). Characterizing the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of immunosuppressant medicines and patient outcomes in elderly renal transplant patients. Translational Andrology and Urology, 8(Suppl 2), S198–S213. https://doi.org/10.21037/tau.2018.10.16

Díez-Villanueva, P., Arizá-Solé, A., Vidán, M. T., Bonanad, C., Formiga, F., Sanchis, J., Martín-Sánchez, F. J., Ruiz Ros, V., Sanmartín Fernández, M., Bueno, H., & Martínez-Sellés, M. (2019). Recommendations of the Geriatric Cardiology Section of the Spanish Society of Cardiology for the Assessment of Frailty in Elderly Patients With Heart Disease. Revista Española de Cardiología (English Edition), 72(1), 63–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rec.2018.06.035

Farkouh, A., Riedl, T., Gottardi, R., Czejka, M., & Kautzky-Willer, A. (2020). Sex-Related Differences in Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Frequently Prescribed Drugs: A Review of the Literature. Advances in Therapy, 37(2), 644–655. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-019-01201-3

Strain, W. D., Hope, S. V., Green, A., Kar, P., Valabhji, J., & Sinclair, A. J. (2018). Type 2 diabetes mellitus in older people: A brief statement of key principles of modern day management including the assessment of frailty. A national collaborative stakeholder initiative. Diabetic Medicine, 35(7), 838–845. https://doi.org/10.1111/dme.13644

van den Anker, J., Reed, M. D., Allegaert, K., & Kearns, G. L. (2018). Developmental Changes in Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics. The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 58(S10), S10–S25. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcph.1284

Grid View

	Excellent	Good	Fair	Poor
Main Posting	45 (45%) – 50 (50%) Answers all parts of the discussion question(s) expectations with reflective critical analysis and synthesis of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module and current credible sources. Supported by at least three current, credible sources. Written clearly and concisely with no grammatical or spelling errors and fully adheres to current APA manual writing rules and style.	40 (40%) – 44 (44%) Responds to the discussion question(s) and is reflective with critical analysis and synthesis of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module. At least 75% of post has exceptional depth and breadth. Supported by at least three credible sources. Written clearly and concisely with one or no grammatical or spelling errors and fully adheres to current APA manual writing rules and style.	35 (35%) – 39 (39%) Responds to some of the discussion question(s). One or two criteria are not addressed or are superficially addressed. Is somewhat lacking reflection and critical analysis and synthesis. Somewhat represents knowledge gained from the course readings for the module. Post is cited with two credible sources. Written somewhat concisely; may contain more than two spelling or grammatical errors. Contains some APA formatting errors.	0 (0%) – 34 (34%) Does not respond to the discussion question(s) adequately. Lacks depth or superficially addresses criteria. Lacks reflection and critical analysis and synthesis. Does not represent knowledge gained from the course readings for the module. Contains only one or no credible sources. Not written clearly or concisely. Contains more than two spelling or grammatical errors. Does not adhere to current APA manual writing rules and style.
Main Post: Timeliness	10 (10%) – 10 (10%) Posts main post by day 3.	0 (0%) – 0 (0%)	0 (0%) – 0 (0%)	0 (0%) – 0 (0%) Does not post by day 3.
First Response	17 (17%) – 18 (18%) Response exhibits synthesis, critical thinking, and application to practice settings. Responds fully to questions posed by faculty. Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by at least two scholarly sources. Demonstrates synthesis and understanding of learning objectives. Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues. Responses to faculty questions are fully answered, if posed. Response is effectively written in standard, edited English.	15 (15%) – 16 (16%) Response exhibits critical thinking and application to practice settings. Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues. Responses to faculty questions are answered, if posed. Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by two or more credible sources. Response is effectively written in standard, edited English.	13 (13%) – 14 (14%) Response is on topic and may have some depth. Responses posted in the discussion may lack effective professional communication. Responses to faculty questions are somewhat answered, if posed. Response may lack clear, concise opinions and ideas, and a few or no credible sources are cited.	0 (0%) – 12 (12%) Response may not be on topic and lacks depth. Responses posted in the discussion lack effective professional communication. Responses to faculty questions are missing. No credible sources are cited.
Second Response	16 (16%) – 17 (17%) Response exhibits synthesis, critical thinking, and application to practice settings. Responds fully to questions posed by faculty. Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by at least two scholarly sources. Demonstrates synthesis and understanding of learning objectives. Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues. Responses to faculty questions are fully answered, if posed. Response is effectively written in standard, edited English.	14 (14%) – 15 (15%) Response exhibits critical thinking and application to practice settings. Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues. Responses to faculty questions are answered, if posed. Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by two or more credible sources. Response is effectively written in standard, edited English.	12 (12%) – 13 (13%) Response is on topic and may have some depth. Responses posted in the discussion may lack effective professional communication. Responses to faculty questions are somewhat answered, if posed. Response may lack clear, concise opinions and ideas, and a few or no credible sources are cited.	0 (0%) – 11 (11%) Response may not be on topic and lacks depth. Responses posted in the discussion lack effective professional communication. Responses to faculty questions are missing. No credible sources are cited.
Participation	5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Meets requirements for participation by posting on three different days.	0 (0%) – 0 (0%)	0 (0%) – 0 (0%)	0 (0%) – 0 (0%) Does not meet requirements for participation by posting on 3 different days.
Total Points: 100

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The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.

Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.

If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.

I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.

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Communication

Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me:

Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.

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Important information for writing discussion questions and participation

Welcome to class

Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to

I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you.

Please, be advised I do NOT accept any assignments by email. If you are having technical issues with uploading an assignment, contact the technical department and inform me of the issue. If you have any issues that would prevent you from getting your assignments to me by the deadline, please inform me to request a possible extension. Note that working fulltime or overtime is no excuse for late assignments. There is a 5%-point deduction for every day your assignment is late. This only applies to approved extensions. Late assignments will not be accepted.

If you think you would be needing accommodations due to any reasons, please contact the appropriate department to request accommodations.

Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements.

Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week.

I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course!

Hi Class,

Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Important information on Writing a Discussion Question

Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references)
There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article.
Include in-text citations in your response
Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information
Follow APA-7th edition
Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor

A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week.
Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article
Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references)
Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count.
Follow APA 7th edition
Points will be deducted if the above is not followed
Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points.
Here are some helpful links
Student paper example
Citing Sources
The Writing Center is a great resource