A postoperative patient is undergoing antibiotic therapy. She has never had any problems taking medications in the past

Question

When the nurse hung the second dose of IV antibiotics, the patient suddenly developed shortness of breath and had difficulty breathing. The nurse recognized this was most likely a(n): a. idiosyncratic reaction.
b. toxic effect.
c. side effect.
d. anaphylactic reaction.

Answer 1

D
Sudden constriction of bronchiolar muscles, edema of the pharynx and larynx, and severe wheezing and shortness of breath characterize severe or anaphylactic reactions. In anaphylaxis a patient becomes severely hypotensive, necessitating emergency resuscitation measures. Some medications cause unpredictable effects, such as idiosyncratic reactions, in which a patient overreacts or underreacts to a medication or has a reaction different from what is expected. Toxic effects are capable of causing injury or death. They often develop after prolonged intake of a medication or when a medication accumulates in the blood because of impaired metabolism or excretion. A side effect is a predictable and often unavoidable adverse effect produced at a usual therapeutic dose.