The nurse is caring for a female patient whose tests confirm she is 10 weeks pregnant and has contracted tuberculosis. The health care provider orders a combination of antimycobacterials

Question

What combination of drugs would the nurse identify as safest for this pregnant patient? A) Isoniazid, ethambutol, and rifampin
B) Rifabutin, streptomycin, and rifampin
C) Capreomycin, cycloserine, and ethionamide
D) Dapsone, ethambutol, and cycloserine

Answer 1

A
Feedback:
The antituberculosis drugs are always used in combination to affect the bacteria at various cellular stages and first-line drugs are always the first choice, using second-line drugs only when the patient is unable to take the first-line medications. Because this patient is pregnant, the safest choices would be isoniazid, ethambutol, and rifampin but no drug is administered during pregnancy unless the benefit outweighs the risk. The other drug choices would be less safe and would not be used unless the safer drugs were contraindicated.