Drug therapy for nasal congestion and cough

C) Virus

A patient presents at the clinic with sneezing and coughing. He is diagnosed with the common cold. Which type of microorganism causes the common cold? A) Gram-positive bacteria B) Gram-negative bacteria C) Virus D) Fungus

A) Frequent handwashing

You are the school nurse educating a group of parents on the prevention of the common cold among their children. Which of the following preventive measures is most important to teach the parents? A) Frequent handwashing B) Maintaining vaccinations C) Taking 1200 mg of vitamin C D) Taking Echinacea daily

B) Dextromethorphan is ineffective in children.

A 3-year-old child is seen in the pediatric office for a dry, hacking cough. The mother is requesting a prescription for dextromethorphan. In providing patient education, which of the following provides the most effective teaching regarding the use of dextromethorphan in children? A) Dextromethorphan suppresses cough in children. B) Dextromethorphan is ineffective in children. C) Dextromethorphan must be combined with codeine. D) Dextromethorphan raises blood pressure in children.

C) Hypertension

. A patient is using oxymetazoline (Afrin) to relieve nasal congestion. Which of the following conditions would contraindicate the use of this drug? A) Nasal congestion B) Cough C) Hypertension D) Skin rash

B) Acetylcysteine (Mucomyst)

A patient is admitted to the emergency room after consuming 50 acetaminophen tablets in a suicide attempt. What medication will be administered to counteract the effect of the acetaminophen? A) Oxymetazoline hydrochloride (Afrin) B) Acetylcysteine (Mucomyst) C) Daptomycin (Cubicin) D) Darbepoetin alfa (Aranesp)

D) Thyroid preparations

A patient is taking a nasal decongestant. Which of the following medications may dangerously increase the effects of nasal decongestants? A) Anti-infective agents B) Anti-inflammatory agents C) Proton pump inhibitors D) Thyroid preparations

D) "This medication will cause drowsiness, and I will not drive."

A patient is prescribed an antitussive agent with codeine. Which of the following statements by the patient indicates that the nurse's teaching has been effective? A) "I will take this medication whenever I am coughing." B) "This medication may make me anxious and nervous." C) "I will call my physician if I develop diarrhea when I take it." D) "This medication will cause drowsiness, and I will not drive."

A) "The administration of a nasal decongestant will increase blood pressure due to vasoconstriction of blood vessels."

A patient has hypertension and wants to take a nasal decongestant for cold symptoms. Which of the following statements by the nurse best describes the effect of decongestants on blood pressure? A) "The administration of a nasal decongestant will increase blood pressure due to vasoconstriction of blood vessels." B) "The administration of a nasal decongestant will cause bradycardia and increase peripheral blood pressure." C) "The administration of a nasal decongestant will decrease the thyroid production and increase blood pressure." D) "The administration of nasal decongestant will act on the central nervous system to cause vasodilation of blood vessels."

A) "Drugs like this can often relieve some of the symptoms of a cold, but they won't cure it."

A patient has expressed frustration at the fact that he has been taking Sudafed for several days and "it still hasn't really cured my cold." What teaching point should the nurse convey to the patient? A) "Drugs like this can often relieve some of the symptoms of a cold, but they won't cure it." B) "Most people find that cold medications are essentially ineffective." C) "It usually takes between 6 and 8 days for Sudafed to cure your cold." D) "Sudafed can sometimes mask the effects of your cold, essentially prolonging it."

C) Chronic congestion D) Damage to the nasal mucosa

An elderly patient has presented to the clinic for a scheduled visit and states that he has been taking a combination antitussive/decongestant/expectorant for several weeks in order to prevent the common cold. The nurse should cite which of the following effects of long-term use of OTC cold remedies? Select all that apply. A) Chronic epistaxis B) Anticholinergic effects C) Chronic congestion D) Damage to the nasal mucosa E) Hepatotoxicity

C) Assess the patient for health problems that may contraindicate the use of a particular remedy

An adult patient has asked the nurse to recommend an OTC cold remedy because she is unsure which of the many options available is most appropriate. Before making a recommendation, the nurse should do which of the following? A) Consult with a pharmacist or pharmacy technician. B) Assess the patient's understanding of the epidemiology of the common cold and upper respiratory infections. C) Assess the patient for health problems that may contraindicate the use of a particular remedy. D) Ensure that the patient has tried some of the more common herbal and natural remedies.

B) A man with a history of angina and hypertension

A community health nurse is cautious when recommending the use of OTC cold remedies to patients. The use of pseudoephedrine would most likely be contraindicated in which of the following patients? A) A woman who is breast-feeding B) A man with a history of angina and hypertension C) A man who has diagnoses of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and diabetes D) A woman who has myasthenia gravis

B) there are concerns among health professionals about how safe and effective these medications are.

A 30-year-old woman with two preschoolers has sought the nurse's advice because she has heard conflicting reports about the safety and efficacy of cough and cold products in young children. The nurse should inform the woman that A) cough and cold remedies are generally safe and effective for children over the age of 2. B) there are concerns among health professionals about how safe and effective these medications are. C) media reports about the risks of cough and cold medications in children have greatly exaggerated the risks. D) it is imperative to use age-specific preparations of cough and cold remedies.

D) The patient should use caution and will likely require a lower dose of pseudoephedrine because of his impaired renal function

A 55-year-old male patient has been living with type 1 diabetes for many years and has begun to experience diabetic nephropathy over the past year. How will this patient's current health status influence the possible use of pseudoephedrine in the treatment of cold symptoms? A) The patient should monitor his blood glucose levels more frequently when taking pseudoephedrine. B) The use of pseudoephedrine is absolutely contraindicated by the fact that the patient has diabetes and takes insulin. C) The patient may require a higher-than-average dose of pseudoephedrine because of excess fluid volume secondary to renal failure. D) The patient should use caution and will likely require a lower dose of pseudoephedrine because of his impaired renal function

D) A dry, nonproductive cough

A patient has asked the nurse if it would be appropriate to use dextromethorphan to treat her cough. What type of cough is best suited to treatment with dextromethorphan? A) An occasional, productive cough B) A cough that is nearly continuous and that is accompanied by copious secretions C) A cough that occurs when the patient is exposed to airborne irritants D) A dry, nonproductive cough

A) Hallucinations

A 17-year-old boy has been brought to the emergency department by his mother who is distraught by the fact that she caught him and his friend "guzzling cough syrup." What assessment finding is suggestive of an overdose of dextromethorphan? A) Hallucinations B) Dysrhythmias C) Kussmaul's respirations D) Profound diaphoresis

A) Depression of the cough center in the medulla oblongata

A patient with a persistent and debilitating cough is confused that his physician has prescribed codeine. He tells the nurse, "I was sure that codeine was a narcotic that people take for pain." The nurse should cite what mechanism of action when describing this use of codeine? A) Depression of the cough center in the medulla oblongata B) Vasodilation of the alveolar capillaries C) Stimulation of the reticular activating system (RAS) D) Desensitization of the cough receptors in the sinuses and trachea

D) Increasing fluid intake

A nurse has taught an adult patient about the fact that guaifenesin is not necessarily an effective way of liquefying secretions. To help liquefy the patient's secretions, the nurse should encourage which of the following measures? A) Reducing salt intake B) Deep breathing and exercises C) Gargling with normal saline D) Increasing fluid intake

C) breaking the protein bonds that exist in mucus.

A critically ill patient with a diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia has been administered acetylcysteine by inhalation. The critical care nurse knows that this medication helps to liquefy secretions in the respiratory tract by A) increasing the osmolality of mucus. B) decreasing the osmolality of mucus C) breaking the protein bonds that exist in mucus. D) drawing increased amounts of water from interstitial spaces into mucus

A) A nasal decongestant but not an antihistamine

A patient has purchased an OTC cold remedy that advertises a "nondrowsy" formulation. The nurse should recognize that this produce likely contains which of the following? A) A nasal decongestant but not an antihistamine B) An expectorant, a mucolytic, and a benzodiazepine C) An expectorant but not a decongestant D) A narcotic analgesic and a decongestant