Standard vancomycin dosing will not work for every patient. Let me walk you through 3 often overlooked patient characteristics that suggests the need for closer scrutiny and off-protocol dosing. This isn’t a post about how to perform detailed vancomycin calculations. It’s about learning how anticipate and be responsive to the body mechanics of patients toContinue reading “How to Dose Vancomycin: When Protocols Fail”
Tag Archives: pharmacology
How to Use 5 Blood Products from Whole Blood
Every 2 seconds a blood transfusion is needed in the United States. Let me walk you through what you need to know about how we derive and how we use blood products. We give transfusions as a way to supplement blood loss, maintain hemostasis and oxygenation in a wide range of scenarios: major blood lossContinue reading “How to Use 5 Blood Products from Whole Blood”
How to Treat: Atrial Fibrillation
Treatment of atrial fibrillation centers reducing the risk of thrombus formation and stroke as well as treatment as disease progresses. Learn how we use validated tools to balance risk of the atrial fibrillation with the risk of treatment.
Navigating Pneumonia: Where and How to Treat
Pneumonia is an infection of the lower respiratory tract specifically the lungs. You can refer to the introduction of the study unit on SINUSITIS for a detailed discussion of the respiratory system. This study unit is based on the current Clinical Practice Guideline of the American Thoracic Society and Infectious Diseases Society of America (ATS/IDSA)Continue reading “Navigating Pneumonia: Where and How to Treat”
Volume of Distribution: Why We Need it and How to Use It
Distribution is the second step in drug pharmacokinetics. Pharmacokinetics refers to how a drug is processed by the body. Volume of distribution is a way to quantify the extent of drug distribution throughout the body. Intravascular & Extravascular Spaces The body can be broadly divided into intravascular and extravascular spaces. Intravascular space refers to anyContinue reading “Volume of Distribution: Why We Need it and How to Use It”