anticoagulant, anti-platelets, and thrombolytics

What are Anticoagulant

• thin your blood

• Does not get rid of blood clots

• Prevents the formation of blood clots

What are anti-platelets

• Med example is aspirin

• Stops platelets from clumping together

• Prevent platelet aggregation/sticking together

What are thrombolytics

• Breaks up the clot

• Attacks and dissolves the clots that have already been formed

Heparin anticoagulant

Antidote is protamine sulfate

Monitor patient PTT

Low molecular weight heparin

1. Medication example is Lovenox

2. Lower risk for bleeding

3. Do not take aspirin with this med

4. Frequent lab monitoring is not required

Oral anticoagulant-Warfarin

1. Monitor patient’s PT and INR

2. Antidote is vitamin K

3. This medication takes 24 to 48 hours to be effective as well as the antidote to be effective

What are factor XA inhibitors?

• Prevent DVT and PE

• Some do not require routine monitoring, so therefore there is no way of knowing how thin the patient’s blood is

• Administer once or twice

• Medication example is Eliquis or Xarelto

What is a protocol for a patient that is getting ready to have surgery and is taking an anticoagulant

The patient is required to stop the medication a period of time before the surgery

What are anti-platelets

• Medication example is aspirin

• One baby aspirin a day is prescribed for low-dose therapy

What are thrombolytics

• Drugs that break up the clot that has already formed

• Avoid taking aspirin with these meds

• Nurse needs to have baseline vital signs, med, and drug history. Monitor for bleeding, dehydration, and tissue damage.

HDL and LDL

HDL is good cholesterol. LDL is bad cholesterol.

What are bile acid sequestrants

• Reduce LDL cholesterol levels by binding with bio acids in the intestine

• Side effects include constipation , gas, and steatorrhea which is fat in the stool

what are vibrates

• Reduce triglycerides and VLDL, which is very low cholesterol levels

• A side effect to look for is gallstones

What is niacin

• Reduced VDLD and LDL

• Side effects include hyperglycemia and hyperoxemia

• Labs to monitor will be blood sugar in uric acid levels

What are cholesterol absorption inhibitors

• Help with cholesterol absorption

• Side effects include diarrhea and abdominal pain

What are HMG CoA reductase inhibitors (statins)

• do not stop med abruptly due to may cause rebound effect

• Side effects include rhabdomyolysis which is muscle cramps and form the prescriber if this happens due to may mean, breaking down of muscle that does not need to be stopped, but maybe change to another statin

What are homocysteine and high sensitivity c reactive protein for

these labs are not to find the level of cholesterol, but is to figure out other reasons why cholesterol levels are low

Remember…..

When a patient is on cholesterol medication you want their cholesterol level to be less than 200 within 6 to 8 weeks of starting the new med

Ensure the patient is having eye exams, done, lipid, and liver function blood work done as well

What is peripheral vascular disease

When the patient is having problems with blood flow in their lower legs

What are some symptoms of peripheral vascular disease?

• Signs could be numbness coolness in the extremities leg officers, due to lack of blood flow and claudication which is pain in the legs when applying pressure on them, then relief while resting