Category CCC

The LITFL Critical Care Compendium is a comprehensive collection of pages concisely covering the core topics and controversies of critical care.

CCC Critical Care compendium 340

Ranitidine

Ranitidine: H2 receptor antagonist; competitive blockade of H2 receptors -> decrease in secretion; also decreases action of gastrin and acetylcholine

CCC Critical Care compendium 340

Magnesium

Magnesium: electrolyte (second most abundant cation in intracellular fluid, after potassium); depresses neuronal activation; essential cofactor in >300 enzyme systems

CCC Critical Care compendium 340

Alfentanil

Alfentanil: synthetic mu-opioid receptor agonist analgesic drug. Analogue of the synthetic opioid fentanyl that is only 10% as potent (on a weight-to-weight basis), but has quicker onset, quicker time to maximal effect, shorter duration of action (10 minutes), is more cardiovascularly stable and has more respiratory depression

CCC Critical Care compendium 340

Amiodarone

Amiodarone: class III anti-arrhythmic; prolongs cardiac action potential & delaying refractory period

CCC Critical Care compendium 340

Aprotinin

Aprotinin: antifibrinolytic; single chain polypeptide which occurs naturally in bovine lung and other tissues; inhibits fibrionlysis via inactivation of free plasmin

CCC Critical Care compendium 340

Aspirin

Aspirin: antiplatelet agent; irreversible acetylation of cyclooxygenase -> blocks the production of prostaglandins from membrane phospholipids -> inactivation of platelet aggregation by arachidonic acid and collagen.

CCC Critical Care compendium 340

Bosentan

Bosentan: dual endothelin receptor antagonist; competitive antagonism of endothelin-1 (pulmonary vasoconstrictor) at the endothelin receptors -> decreases PVR

CCC Critical Care compendium 340

Ceftriaxone

Ceftriaxone: 3rd generation cephalosporin; inhibition of cell wall synthesis: gram –ve rods (except Pseudomonas); gram +ve cocci (except Methicillin resistant and group D streptococci)