Angioplasty Care A nonsurgical approach to opening coronary vessels narrowed by arteriosclerosis, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) uses a balloon-tipped catheter that’s inserted into a narrowed coronary artery. This procedure,…
Alignment and Pressure-Reducing Devices Various assistive devices can be used to maintain correct body positioning and to help prevent complications that commonly arise when a patient must be on prolonged…
Air-Fluidized Therapy Bed use Originally designed for managing burns, the air-fluidized therapy bed is now used for patients with various debilities. By allowing harmless contact between the bed’s surface and…
Airborne Precautions Airborne precautions, used in addition to standard precautions, prevent the spread of infectious droplet nuclei (small particles that become suspended in the air and disperse over long distances…
Advance Directives The Patient Self-Determination Act1 requires health care facilities to provide information about the patient’s right to choose and refuse treatment. An advance directive is a legal document used…
Admixture of Drugs in a Syringe Combining two drugs in one syringe avoids the discomfort of two injections. Usually, drugs can be mixed in a syringe in one of four…
Abdominal Paracentesis, Assisting As a bedside procedure, abdominal paracentesis involves the aspiration of fluid from the peritoneal space through a needle or trocar and cannula inserted in the abdominal wall….
Zonisamide (zoh niss’ ah myde) Zonegran PREGNANCY CATEGORY C Drug Class Anticonvulsant Therapeutic Actions Mechanism of action not fully understood; inhibits voltage-sensitive sodium and calcium channels, stabilizing the neuronal membrane…
Zolpidem Tartrate (zol’ pih dem) Ambien, Ambien CRDNC, EdluarDNC, Intermezzo, Zolpimist PREGNANCY CATEGORY C CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE C-IV Drug Class Hypnotic (nonbarbiturate) Therapeutic Actions Modulates GABA receptors to cause suppression of…
