ATI RN
ATI PN Pharmacology Proctored Exam 2023 Questions
Question 1 of 5
A client is admitted to the emergency room complaining of difficulty of breathing and upon auscultation, the nurse noted that the patient has wheezes. An allergic reaction to penicillin was
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Albuterol (Ventolin HFA) is a short-acting beta-agonist bronchodilator commonly used to treat asthma exacerbations and wheezing. In this case, the patient presenting with wheezes and difficulty breathing likely has bronchospasm, which albuterol can help relieve by relaxing the muscles in the airways. It is the first-line treatment for acute bronchospasm and is administered via inhalation to provide quick relief of symptoms. Albuterol works rapidly to open up the airways, making it an appropriate initial medication to administer in this situation.
Question 2 of 5
The following are examples of prodrugs:
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Levodopa is a prodrug converted to dopamine in the brain, bypassing the blood-brain barrier. Prodrugs are inactive compounds metabolized into active drugs in the body.
Question 3 of 5
Following ingestion, a drug crosses a membrane from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration. This is an example of
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Diffusion moves drugs passively from high to low concentration across membranes, like oral absorption, a pharmacokinetic staple. Active transport uses energy against gradients. Osmosis is water-specific. Metabolism alters drugs chemically. Diffusion fits, driving initial uptake.
Question 4 of 5
A woman with myoclonic seizures is well controlled with lamotrigine. She becomes pregnant and begins to have breakthrough seizures. What is most likely happening?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Pregnancy increases lamotrigine clearance via enhanced glucuronidation (UGT enzyme induction), lowering plasma concentrations and risking breakthrough seizures, as seen here. Worsening epilepsy is possible but less likely without prior progression. Increased concentrations would improve control, not worsen it. Loss of efficacy is unlikely if previously effective; pharmacokinetic changes are more plausible. Monitoring and dose adjustment during pregnancy, per epilepsy guidelines, address this common issue, making decreased concentrations the most likely cause.
Question 5 of 5
Age associated changes in pharmacokinetics include:
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Aging reduces creatinine clearance in about two-thirds of individuals due to declining renal function, a true statement impacting drug excretion. Body fat increases, not decreases, with age, altering distribution of lipophilic drugs, so that's false. Total body water decreases, not increases, affecting hydrophilic drugs. Conjugation (phase II) is less affected than oxidation (phase I) by age, making that false. Absorption isn't significantly altered by age alone. Reduced renal clearance is a critical age-related change, necessitating dose adjustments for renally cleared drugs like digoxin.