Introduction to Toxicology

Which of the following statements is a general principle of toxicology?

• No drug ever exerts a single action.

• All drugs are completely safe.

• Drugs only have one effect.

• Toxicity is never a concern with drugs.

A patient experiences an unusual and unpredictable reaction to a medication that is not related to the dose or allergy. What type of adverse drug reaction is this most likely to be?

• Overdose reaction

• Allergic reaction

• Idiosyncratic reaction

• Toxic reaction

Which of the following is NOT considered an idiosyncratic reaction?

• An adverse reaction that is an overdose.

• An adverse reaction that is neither an overdose nor an allergic reaction.

• An unexpected response to a drug that is not related to its pharmacological action.

• An adverse reaction that is not an allergic reaction.

What is the most common type of true adverse drug reaction?

• Allergic reaction

• Overdose reaction

• Idiosyncratic reaction

• Drug interaction

Recall two patient factors that can increase the risk of local anesthetic overdose.

• Age and weight

• Blood pressure and heart rate

• Diet and exercise

• Vision and hearing

MRD’s of local anesthetics (LA) are typically calculated based on which of the following?

• Age of the patient

• Volume of blood

• Drug per kilogram or pound of body weight

• Time of drug administration

Which medical factor is illustrated by the image of a weighing scale in the context of drug administration?

• Age

• Weight

• Blood pressure

• Heart rate

Which of the following diseases is associated with decreased liver perfusion and increased half-lives of amide local anesthetics (LA's)?

• Hepatic dysfunction

• Renal dysfunction

• Congestive heart failure (CHF)

• Diabetes mellitus

If a patient has an elevated blood level of plasma pseudocholinesterase, what might this indicate about their metabolism of esters?

• It is likely to be slower

• It is likely to be faster

• It is not affected

• It is completely stopped

Which of the following is likely to occur if the absorption of a local anesthetic is increased?

• Decreased blood level of LA

• Increased blood level of LA

• No change in blood level of LA

• Decreased effectiveness of LA