Introduction to ACLS Drugs
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Article at a Glance
- This is a quick introduction to medications used in ACLS
- Clinicians will learn each drug’s mechanism of action, indications, dosing, and special considerations.
- Clinicians must know when and how to administer each drug to optimally treat patients.
Let’s review the medications that we use in advanced cardiovascular life support (ACLS). For medications, we will be reviewing: Let’s start by looking at the pharmacology of the drug. What is its mechanism of action? How is it working inside the patient? Next, we’ll look at the indications. That’s the reason why we’re giving the drug. What condition are we administering this medication for? As you can imagine, the same drug can have multiple indications of use. The indication of the drug refers to the use of the drug. Finally, we’ll examine some special considerations for the medications. One consideration is safety. Performing a task “the wrong way” can be dangerous, unprofessional, and life-threatening. Performing a task the right way should be efficient, safe, and meets the industry standards.Introduction to ACLS Medications
Related Video – Know These 10 Cardiac Drugs for the Pharmacology Test
A Quick Story on Medication Errors
Last weekend, I was flying a cardiac patient up to Canada. The patient came down to visit family here in America, got sick and wound up on an intra-aortic balloon pump. We had to fly this patient back to Canada.
Now, before we loaded her up and took off from the ICU, I wanted to give her a little Zofran (ondansetron). Zofran is an antiemetic, or an anti-nausea medication. It has relatively low side effects and is a pretty safe drug.
If you can, get a second set of eyes prior to administering the drug to help prevent medication errors.
So, I’m at the counter in the ICU. I pull out the Zofran and I look at it. I turn to the ICU nurse behind the counter and I say, “This is Zofran.”
She looks up and she says, “That is Zofran” and goes back to work.
That is the height of professionalism and the height of patient safety. Why did I verify that drug? Because every year thousands of patients die from medication errors that we cause. One way I try to minimize that is to get a second set of eyes on every drug before I administer it. We’re talking about ACLS emergencies. That’s when accidents happen, right? You go into a code in the hospital and things get hectic. You could easily give the wrong medication.
Medication errors can also occur due to complacency, like giving a seemingly plain drug like Zofran. Check your medications. We’ll dive into the ACLS medications in the next few articles.
Read: General Stroke Care
It is essential to be familiar with all of the ACLS medications. It helps you understand the indications and limits the risks of medication errors. Following will be more articles examining each ACLS medication in detail. Summary
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Editorial Note
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