Education on Medications

It was fun assessing two of my family member’s knowledge on the medications that they are currently taking. One of my family members has diabetes type 2 and he is currently taking metformin HCL 500mg one tab twice a day and glyburide 5 mg daily every morning. He only knew he had to be compliant with his medication or his glucose level would get higher and told me that the medication was used to lower glucose levels. He didn’t know about side effects so I educated him on that having used my Skyscape app. I told him that Metformin HCL tells the liver to decrease the production of glucose, decreases the ability of your intestines to absorb glucose and increases the sensitivity of insulin. Also, metformin can cause abdominal bloating, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, unpleasant metallic taste and hypoglycemia. Moreover, I told him that metformin helps control hyperglycemia but doe not cure diabetes. I also told him that if he experiences hypoglycemia to take a glass of orange juice or 2-3 tsp of sugar, honey, or corn syrup dissolved in water, and notify the health care professional.

The second medication he is taking is glyburide. The action of this drug is different than Metformin HCL, but its main goal also is to control hyperglycemia. Basically it lowers glucose levels by stimulating the release of insulin from the pancreas and increasing the sensitivity to insulin at receptor sites. Also, it tells the liver to decrease the production of glucose. Some of the side effects can be feeling dizzy, drowsy, feeling weak or having a headache. Moreover, it can cause constipation so I told him to drink lots of water and fiber rich foods like vegetables and fruits. It can also cause cramps, diarrhea, feeling of fullness, increases the appetite, photosensitivity so wear sunscreen when outdoors, hypoglycemia, and aplastic anemia (when the bone marrow does not make enough blood cells from the body such as RBCs that carry oxygen, WBCs to fight an infection, and platelets to control bleeding.

The second family member takes atenolol 50 mg once daily. Basically this drug decreases the BP, decreases frequency of attacks of angina pectoris (chest pain) and it prevent a heart attack (MI). Some of the side effects are fatigue, weakness, anxiety, depression, dizzy, insomnia, memory loss, blurred vision, stuffy nose, wheezing, decreases heart rate, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, urinary frequency, and either hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia. Also, I educated her on managing her high blood pressure by loosing weight; avoid too much sodium intake, and practice stress reduction such as meditation. Overall, they were both amazed as too the many side effects that a tiny pill can cause. I loved this assignment!

I am fascinated with how technology has advanced and how it works, especially to fix cardiovascular diseases. I would like to share with everyone the coolest procedure that fixes aortic stenosis, called transcatheter aortic valve replacement, best known as TAVR. This procedure is for patients who suffer from severe aortic stenosis and whose advanced age puts them at high risk for death if they were to have open-heart surgery. The University of Iowa Heart and Vascular Center is one of a select group of centers across the nation, and the first in Iowa to offer this procedure to those qualified candidates (University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, 2015). In 2011, this center was the first in the nation to receive certification for its cardiac valve program from The Joint Commission (University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, 2015). It is important to note that this procedure is minimally invasive for the repair and replacement of the aortic valve. This procedure can be performed through two distinct sites, either from the patient’s thigh through the femoral artery or through a small incision on the lower left side of the patient’s chest. Sometimes the elderly have disease of the leg blood vessels; hence, the chest can be an alternative site (University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, 2015).

Basically, with this procedure, the damaged aortic valve is replaced with a prosthetic valve. This new technology uses a catheter inserted through a small incision in a patient’s thigh that travels though blood vessels and can be used to replace a person’s failing heart valve in the aortic artery. This procedure involves a team of interventional cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, and imaging specialists of the heart (University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, 2015). The recovery of this procedure is faster as opposed to open-heart surgery and it has proven to be a successful procedure. As we know, the blood passes through the aortic valve and then into our body where it perfusses our tissues and organs. If the valve is stenotic, then small amounts of blood can pass through this valve and symptoms develop such as shortness of breath and one can easily become tired. In the story of a 90-year-old woman, she would complain of being tired on a day-to-day basis and that led her to visit her doctor (University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, 2015). She then was diagnosed with aortic stenosis and the doctor recommended for this procedure. She agreed to undergo TARV and she admits it was the best decision made for improving her health. After four days, she was allowed to go home and she says she had no pain at all after the procedure (University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, 2015). She recommends this procedure for those who need it and overall she is doing well. Patients who don’t get treated for aortic stenosis can develop heart failure or cardiac arrest, and most importantly can die within a year of this problem (University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, 2015). By the way, check out the article below and you can watch the animated video of this procedure, which is amazing!

Reference:

University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. (2015). Transcatheter aortic valve replacement. Retrieved    from        http://www.uihealthcare.org/2column.aspx?id=227967

University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. (2015).

Alma’s story: New lease on life.       Retrieved from    http://www.uihealthcare.org/2column.aspx?id=230803

Group #7

• Group Name: Fluid Resuscitators
• Group Members: Maria Magaña, Robert (Bobby) Martinez, Emily Sentianin
• Why group name was chosen: We chose to study sepsis for our group project and fluid resuscitation is a very important concept in sepsis management.
• Meeting times and locations for duration of semester: Meeting times 1100 on Wednesdays in the Student Union as needed.
• Role of each group member: Bobby-Researcher, Emily-Editor, Maria- Making presentations, everyone: Voice Thread Contributors. The duties will be shared but the ultimate responsibility will be the assigned person for each task.
• Who will lead each meeting? We will rotate leaders each week so that everyone has a chance to run a meeting.
• Who will take minutes and record action items? Maria
• What will the process be for dealing with group members who miss meetings or who are late? How will you address first time offense and repeat offenses? Will the discussion happen one on one or as a group? If the reason for missing meetings or tardiness is valid, then it will be excused. First time offense, if reasonable, will be given a warning. If repeat offenses occur and assigned workload is not completed, then this will be reflected in the final project grade. The discussion will happen as a group because it affects the entire group.
• What will your process be for dealing with distractions during your meeting? How will you address first time offense and repeat offenses? Will the discussion happen one on one or as a group? Meeting times need to be productive so will be no cell phone use rule during meetings unless expecting an important call/message. First time offense will be and repeat offenses will result in dismissal from the meeting. The discussion will happen as a group.
• What will your process be for decision making? If you decide on a consensus vote, what will be your process for making a decision if consensus cannot be reached? The decision making will consist of discussing options and ideas from all members and coming to a consensus. If consensus cannot be reached, further options will be explored and final decisions will be decided by a 2/3 majority vote.
• What will your process be for dealing with a team member who does not fulfill team assigments? How will you address first time offense and repeat offenses? Will the discussion happen one on one or as a group? Perform a verbal root cause analysis of failure to complete duties to ensure that assignment was fully understood. If deadlines are not met then, the first time offense will have an extension of 1 day, additional failures to meet deadlines will be reflected in the final grade. This discussion will happen as a group.
• What will your process be for resolving conflict within the group? Will the discussion happen one on one or as a group? The conflict will attempt to be resolved within the group by a roundtable discussion of issues; if the issue cannot be resolved then it will be taken up with the course instructor. This discussion will occur one on one if only involving two people but will occur as a group if the conflict is amongst the entire group.
• List any other applicable group norms:
  • If you can’t make it to a meeting, let the group members know in advance as soon as possible, preferably the day before.
  • Respect other group members.
  • Collaboration and teamwork will be utilized.
  • Do not be afraid to verbalize disagreement.