Patient was educated on precautions to be exercised while using arterial vasodilators as follows:
- Arterial vasodilators are contraindicated in individuals with abnormally high heart rates. So, if your heart rate is being abnormally high (consistently more than 100), with the use of arterial vasodilators, report this to your physician immediately.
- Arterial vasodilators are contraindicated in individuals with abnormally low blood pressures. Use of arterial vasodilators in these individuals can result in extremely low blood pressure with reduced flow to vital organs. So, if your blood pressures are being consistently low, report this to your physician.
- Observe compliance with any regular lab work ordered. As these drugs are metabolized significantly in the liver and eliminated by the kidneys, hepatic and renal function could be periodically monitored.
- If a dose is missed, it should be taken at the earliest notice of noncompliance. If it is time for the next dose, the missed dose can be skipped. Compensating for the missed dose by taking an extra dose can pose serious risk for an episode of extremely low blood pressure and very high heart rate, thus precipitating an emergency.
