Pharmacology & Medication Management Flashcards

Tight glycemic control with insulin infusion in major burn patients is used primarily to:

Answer: Correct stress-induced hyperglycemia, reduce infection rates, and improve protein metabolism

Burn patients develop stress-induced hyperglycemia even without diabetes; tight glycemic control with insulin reduces infection risk, improves protein metabolism, and is associated with better outcomes.

The current standard multimodal pain management approach for burn patients includes:

Answer: Combination of opioids, non-opioids (acetaminophen, NSAIDs), and adjuncts (ketamine, gabapentin)

Multimodal analgesia combining opioids, non-opioids, and adjuvant agents provides superior pain control with fewer adverse effects than single-agent therapy in burn patients.

Gabapentin is increasingly used as an adjunct analgesic in burn patients primarily to treat:

Answer: Neuropathic pain and pruritus (itching) during wound healing

Gabapentin is effective for neuropathic pain and pruritus, both of which are common as burn wounds heal and nerve regeneration occurs in damaged tissue.

Topical bacitracin ointment is most appropriately used for which burn wound scenario?

Answer: Superficial burns on the face or around the eyes

Bacitracin ointment is safe for facial burns and periorbital use, making it the preferred topical agent where silver-containing compounds may cause irritation to delicate facial tissue and eyes.

Dexmedetomidine (Precedex) is used in burn ICU patients because it provides:

Answer: Sedation and analgesia with minimal respiratory depression, allowing patients to remain rousable

Dexmedetomidine, an alpha-2 agonist, provides cooperative sedation and analgesia with minimal respiratory depression, which is especially advantageous in burn patients with inhalation injuries.

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is used in burn patients with inhalation injury primarily because it acts as:

Answer: A mucolytic and antioxidant to reduce airway secretion burden and oxidative damage

N-acetylcysteine serves as both a mucolytic (breaks down thick airway secretions) and an antioxidant (scavenges free radicals), helping manage the airway and reduce oxidative damage from inhalation injury.

When administering systemic antibiotics to burn patients, the burn nurse should anticipate that dosing requirements will typically differ from standard dosing because:

Answer: Higher doses and/or more frequent dosing are needed due to increased volume of distribution and augmented renal clearance

Altered pharmacokinetics in burn patients — including increased volume of distribution, hypermetabolism, and augmented renal clearance — frequently require higher doses or more frequent antibiotic administration to achieve therapeutic levels.