Author Question: A patient who has been prescribed an inhaled corticosteroid develops a thick white coating on the ... (Read 80 times)

gonzo233 · **on:** Jul 23, 2018

A patient who has been prescribed an inhaled corticosteroid develops a thick white coating on the tongue and patches on the inside cheeks. What is the nurse's best action?

a. Instruct the patient to stop using the inhaler until the coating is gone.
b. Obtain a culture of the coating and take the patient's temperature.
c. Hold the dose and notify the prescriber immediately.
d. Document the finding and notify the prescriber.

Question 2

The nurse is to administer doxycycline (Doxy) intravenously to a patient who is also receiving intravenous (IV) penicillin. Which action is most important for the nurse to implement?

a. Use IV tubing for doxycycline that has never come into contact with penicillin.
b. Use a glass container for the tetracycline and a plastic container for the penicillin.
c. Infuse the doxycycline only into a central line and the penicillin into a peripheral line.
d. Administer doxycycline with sterile saline and administer the penicillin with ste-rile water.

catron30 · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 23, 2018

Answer to Question 1

D
When a patient is prescribed an anti-inflammatory drug, there is an increased risk of opportunistic infections. A thick white coating on the tongue and mucous membrane suggests that the patient has developed a candidiasis (yeast) infection that will need to be treated with an antifungal drug. The nurse should document the finding and notify the prescriber so that appropriate treatment actions can be taken.

Answer to Question 2

A
Doxycycline is a tetracycline drug. Tetracyclines interfere with the action of penicillin. It is im-portant not to give these two drug types at the same time. They should not be mixed together in the same IV bag or run through the same IV tubing.