Acute Cholecystitis: Signs and Symptoms, Laboratory Findings, and Medications
PHARMACOTHERAPY FOR GASTROINTESTINAL AND HEPATOBILIARY DISORDERS
Gastrointestinal (GI) and hepatobiliary disorders affect the structure and function of the GI tract. Many of these disorders often have similar symptoms, such as abdominal pain, cramping, constipation, nausea, bloating, and fatigue. Since multiple disorders can be tied to the same symptoms, it is important for advanced practice nurses to carefully evaluate patients and prescribe a treatment that targets the cause rather than the symptom.
Once the underlying cause is identified, an appropriate drug therapy plan can be recommended based on medical history and individual patient factors. In this Assignment, you examine a case study of a patient who presents with symptoms of a possible GI/hepatobiliary disorder, and you design an appropriate drug therapy plan.
To Prepare:
- Review the case study assigned by your Instructor for this Assignment
- Reflect on the patient’s symptoms, medical history, and drugs currently prescribed.
- Think about a possible diagnosis for the patient. Consider whether the patient has a disorder related to the gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary system or whether the symptoms are the result of a disorder from another system or other factors, such as pregnancy, drugs, or a psychological disorder.
- Consider an appropriate drug therapy plan based on the patient’s history, diagnosis, and drugs currently prescribed.
Write a 1-page paper that addresses the following:
- Explain your diagnosis for the patient, including your rationale for the diagnosis.
- Describe an appropriate drug therapy plan based on the patient’s history, diagnosis, and drugs currently prescribed.
- Justify why you would recommend this drug therapy plan for this patient. Be specific and provide examples.
Title
Your Name
Subject and Section
Professor’s Name
Date
Diagnosis
The patient has Acute Cholecystitis, which results from an inflammation of the gallbladder. The most common signs and symptoms include severe acute right upper quadrant or epigastric pain, nausea, vomiting, and right upper quadrant tenderness on deep palpation. All of these are present in the patient. Nausea and vomiting result from the release of inflammatory mediators. The laboratory findings pertinent in the patient are elevated white blood cells (Jones et al., 2023). Obesity and Type 2 diabetes mellitus are also risk factors. In this case, the patient has a body mass index of 30.7 kg/m2, which is classified as obese class I and has Type 2 diabetes mellitus.
The common laboratory findings in acute cholecystitis are increased white blood cell count and direct bilirubin, which are both elevated in this case (Jones et al., 2023). Elevated direct bilirubin levels can indicate biliary obstruction, which can occur due to inflammation and swelling of the gallbladder. Elevated white blood cell count indicates an inflammatory process.
Treatment
The following medications should be prescribed: 1) Piperacillin-Tazobactam 3.375 g intravenous every 6 hours for 7 days (Medscape, 2023); 2) Metoclopramide 10mg orally as needed for nausea or vomiting. Antibiotics are commonly pr...
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