A patient who has been taking indinavir (Crixivan) for a year has just been told that the organism is now resistant to this drug
The patient expresses worry to the nurse that this means the disease will now progress to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and death will soon follow. What is the nurse's best response? a. "Your health care provider can change this drug to the intravenous form, which prevents viral replication even in HIV that has developed drug resistance."
b. "Although the HIV is now resistant to this drug, other antiretroviral drugs are likely to be effective in controlling your disease."
c. "The HIV easily becomes drug resistant. That is why the drug combinations are switched so often."
d. "That is a possibility because these drugs do not kill the virus. It is best to be prepared."
B
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can develop drug resistance relatively quickly, especially to protease inhibitors. This does not mean that the organism is resistant to all antiretroviral drugs and that the disease will then progress to AIDS. By changing the combination of drugs frequent-ly, even an organism that has developed resistance to one antiretroviral drug can still have its replication suppressed and the disease can be controlled. Simply telling the patient that HIV eas-ily becomes drug resistant may be a true statement, but it does not address the patient's concerns about the disease's progression.
You might also like to view...
A patient, age 43, had a biopsy of a lump in her right breast that revealed a benign tumor. The nurse explains to her that a benign tumor differs from a malignant tumor in that benign tumors
a. do not cause damage to adjacent tissue. b. are simply an overgrowth of normal cells. c. do not spread to other tissues and organs. d. frequently recur in the same site.
A nurse identifies a nursing diagnosis of Constipation related to the effects of the prescribed cholinergic blocking drug. Which of the following would the nurse expect to include in the client's plan of care? Select all that apply
A) Encouraging the intake of a diet high in fiber B) Decreasing the dosage of the cholinergic blocking medication C) Increasing client's fluid intake to at least 2000 mL daily D) Withholding the drug until the client resumes usual bowel pattern E) Encouraging ambulation and exercise as appropriate
A patient with Alzheimer's disease has been prescribed memantine (Namenda)
The patient has developed the symptoms of vomiting, drooling, heart rate of 56 beats/minute, and muscle weakness. What is your best action? a. Contact the prescriber and ask for an order for an as-needed antiemetic drug. b. Place the patient on a heart monitor and check the heart rate every 2 hours. c. Hold the drug dose and contact the prescriber immediately. d. Give the drug exactly as ordered.
When the older adult client seems very forgetful and often fails to dress appropriately, the nurse determines that the client is demonstrating:
A) normal aging. B) confusion. C) cognitive impairment. D) chronic senile dementia.