Nursing Tip of the Day! - Fundamentals

Category: Fundamentals 
The most common cause of acute adrenal insufficiency is the exogenous administration of glucocorticoids. The degree of suppression varies on the basis of the pharmacokinetics, dose and duration of the steroid administered.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Fundamentals

Category: Fundamentals 
Primary adrenal insufficiency, or Addison’s disease, is the failure of the adrenal gland to produce cortisol, aldosterone or both. Adrenal insufficiency may occur alone or with autoimmune diseases.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Fundamentals

Category: Fundamentals 
The adrenal glands are responsible for the release of the hormone aldosterone, corticosteroids, and catecholamines. They are paired structures that sit in the retroperitoneum, one atop each kidney.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Fundamentals

Category: Fundamentals 
Adrenal insufficiency clinical manifestations are the result of primary adrenal failure or secondary adrenal disease from malfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in its production of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH).

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Fundamentals

Category: Fundamentals 
Levothyroxine is a drug for patients with subclinical hypothyroidism. The TSH concentration guides thyroid hormone dosing. It is recommended that levothyroxine be taken at bedtime or 60 minutes before breakfast to improve absorption.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Fundamentals

Category: Fundamentals 
Myxedema coma is a life-threatening event, most often precipitated by some stressful occurrence in patients with untreated hypothyroidism. Precipitating events include myocardial infarction, infection, stroke and pulmonary embolus.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Fundamentals

Category: Fundamentals 
Increased peripheral vascular resistance and low cardiac output have been suggested to be additional links between hypothyroidism and impaired blood pressure regulation and resultant hypertension.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Fundamentals

Category: Fundamentals 
The thyroid has a fundamental role in maintaining cardiovascular homeostasis in physiologic and pathologic states. It influences cardiac contractility, heart rate, diastolic function and systemic vascular resistance.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Fundamentals

Category: Fundamentals 
Patients with early hypothyroidism often present with vague complaints. As such, emergency clinicians should consider thyroid dysfunction in patients with arthralgias, infertility, menstrual changes, depression and hypercholesterolemia.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Fundamentals

Category: Fundamentals 
Amiodarone is a class III antiarrhythmic medication that has a chemical structure similar to that of T4 and contains large amounts of iodine. As such, it inhibits the peripheral conversion of T4 to T3, leading to hypothyroidism.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Fundamentals

Category: Fundamentals 
Lithium and amiodarone use are well-known causes of hypothyroidism. Lithium, commonly prescribed for the treatment of bipolar disorder, has a side effect profile that includes goiter and hypothyroidism.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Fundamentals

Category: Fundamentals 
Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland fails to produce or secrete sufficient circulating thyroid hormone to meet the needs of the peripheral tissues. Hypothyroidism is the most common functional disorder of the thyroid gland.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Fundamentals

Category: Fundamentals 
Symptomatic treatment of thyrotoxicosis consists of beta-blockade to diminish the adrenergic response. Traditionally, propranolol has been the beta-blocker of choice because it has the added benefit of blocking conversion of T4 to T3.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Fundamentals

Category: Fundamentals 
The typical clinical manifestations of thyroid storm include marked pyrexia (104°−106° F [40°−41° C]), extreme tachycardia (often out of proportion to level of fever) and altered mental status (agitation, delirium or coma).

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Fundamentals

Category: Fundamentals 
Thyroid storm is a rare, life-threatening form of severe thyrotoxicosis. It is an acute reaction to thyroid or non-thyroid surgery, trauma, infection, iodine load (contrast media or amiodarone) or parturition in patients with preexisting hyperthyroidism.