Overview
Overview
Urinary tract antiseptics and fluoroquinolones are antimicrobial medications used in selected urinary tract infections (UTIs).
NCLEX-RN
NCLEX-RN
Urinary tract antiseptics and fluoroquinolones are antimicrobial medications used in selected urinary tract infections (UTIs). They are not interchangeable. Each drug reaches a different place in the urinary tract at a different concentration, carries a different set of serious adverse effects, and is appropriate for a different kind of infection. Nitrofurantoin and fosfomycin work mainly inside the bladder because they concentrate in urine. The fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin and moxifloxacin) reach tissue and blood, so they can treat kidney and prostate infections, but they carry a Health Canada serious-warnings box for disabling and potentially persistent adverse reactions. By the end of this lesson you will be able to: 1. Explain the mechanism and the clinical role of nitrofurantoin and fosfomycin, and say why their urinary-concentration profile limits them to lower urinary tract infection. 2. Distinguish uncomplicated cystitis from pyelonephritis and urosepsis at the bedside, and link that distinction to antibiotic choice. 3. Explain how fluoroquinolones work and why they are not a routine first choice for uncomplicated cystitis. 4. Recognize tendon, nerve, central nervous system, blood glucose, cardiac, aortic and myasthenia...
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