McKenna's Pharmacology for Nursing, 2e - page 690

C H A P T E R 4 3
Drugs affecting blood pressure
679
hypertension often has no signs or symptoms, it is
called the silent killer.
■■
Essential hypertension has no underlying cause,
and treatment can vary widely from individual to
individual. Treatment approaches include lifestyle
changes first, followed by careful addition and
adjustment of various antihypertensive drugs.
■■
Drug treatment of hypertension is aimed at altering
one or more of the normal reflexes that control
blood pressure: diuretics decrease sodium levels and
volume; sympathetic nervous system drugs alter the
sympathetic response and lead to vascular dilation
and decreased pumping power of the heart; ACE
inhibitors prevent the conversion of angiotensin I
to angiotensin II; ARBs prevent the body from
responding to angiotensin II; renin inhibitors directly
block the effects of renin; calcium channel blockers
interfere with the ability of muscles to contract and
lead to vasodilation; and vasodilators directly cause
the relaxation of vascular smooth muscle.
■■
Hypotension is a state of lower-than-normal blood
pressure that can result in decreased oxygenation of
the tissues, cell death, tissue damage and even death.
■■
Hypotension is most often treated with
sympathomimetic drugs, which stimulate the
sympathetic receptor sites to cause vasoconstriction,
fluid retention and return of normal pressure.
Knowing your strengths and weaknesses helps you to
study more effectively. Take a PrepU Practice Quiz
to find out how you measure up!
ONLINE RESOURCES
An extensive range of additional resources to enhance teaching
and learning and to facilitate understanding of this chapter may
be found online at the text’s accompanying website, located on
thePoint at
These include Watch and
Learn videos, Concepts in Action animations, journal articles,
review questions, case studies, discussion topics and quizzes.
WEB LINKS
Healthcare providers and students may want to consult
the following Internet sources:
Information on Australian Government, National
Health Priority—Cardiovascular health.
Information on research, alternative methods
of therapy and pharmacology.
Information on research, alternative methods of
therapy and pharmacology.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2014).
4727.055.001 Australian
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey: First
Results
,
Australia
,
2012–13.
ABS: Canberra.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). (2013).
Cardiovascular health,
Ayer, J. G. & Sholler, G. F. (2012). Cardiovascular risk factors
in Australian children: Hypertension and lipid abnormalities.
Australian Prescriber
,
35(2)
,
51–55.
Bostock-Cox, B. (2013). Nurse prescribing for the management
of hypertension.
British Journal of Cardiac Nursing
,
8(11)
,
531–536.
Braunwald, E. & Bonow, R. O., MD Consult LLC. (2012).
Braunwald’s Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular
Medicine
(9th edn). Philadelphia: Elsevier Saunders.
Davis, L. L. (2013). Using the latest evidence to manage
hypertension.
Journal for Nurse Practitioners
,
9(10)
, 621–628.
Elsik, M. & Krum, H. (2007). Should beta blockers remain first-line
drugs for hypertension?
Australian Prescriber
,
30
, 5–7.
Farrell, M. & Dempsey, J. (2014).
Smeltzer & Bare’s Textbook of
Medical-Surgical Nursing
(3rd edn). Sydney: Lippincott Williams
& Wilkins.
Goodman, L. S., Brunton, L. L., Chabner, B. & Knollmann, B. C.
(2011).
Goodman and Gilman’s Pharmacological Basis of
Therapeutics
(12th edn). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Hardy, S. (2009). Encouraging effective use of antihypertensives.
Practice Nursing
,
20(7)
, 342–346.
Heart Foundation. (2010).
Guide to Management of Hypertension:
Assessing and Managing Raised Blood Pressure in Adults.
/
HypertensionGuidelines2008to2010Update.pdf.
Huang, N. & Duggan, K. (2008). Lifestyle management of
hypertension.
Australian Prescriber
,
31
, 150–153.
Matchar, D. B., McCrory, D. C., Orlando, L. A., Patel, M. R.,
Patel, U. D., Patwardhan, M. B., et al. (2008). Systematic review:
Comparative effectiveness of angiotensin-converting enzyme
inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers for treating
essential hypertension.
Annals of Internal Medicine
,
148
,
16–29.
McKenna, L. (2012).
Pharmacology Made Incredibly Easy
(1st
Australian and New Zealand edn). Sydney: Lippincott Williams
& Wilkins.
McKenna, L. & Mirkov, S. (2014).
McKenna’s Drug Handbook for
Nursing and Midwifery
(7th edn). Sydney: Lippincott Williams
& Wilkins.
Parfrey, P. S. (2008). Inhibitors of the renin angiotensin system:
Proven benefits, unproven safety.
Annals of Internal Medicine
,
48
, 76–77.
Porth, C. M. (2011).
Essentials of Pathophysiology: Concepts
of Altered Health States
(3rd edn). Philadelphia: Lippincott
Williams & Wilkins.
Porth, C. M. (2009).
Pathophysiology: Concepts of Altered Health
States
(8th edn). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
1...,680,681,682,683,684,685,686,687,688,689 691,692,693,694,695,696,697,698,699,700,...1007
Powered by FlippingBook