Course Summary

Phenytoin indications, clinical use and the potential for toxicity have been well reviewed in the literature. Phenytoin is often used in combination with other types of anticonvulsant medication and classes of medications, such as benzodiazepines, for varied clinical conditions. The drug is commonly regarded as an antiepileptic agent however it has been used for other conditions as well as a prophylactic agent in neurosurgical patients to avoid an epileptic condition. The research on phenytoin indication, use and potential adverse outcomes focuses on the necessary balance of clinical observation and indication, laboratory data trending serum drug levels, and pharmacological guidelines guiding drug combinations and cross titrations/tapers in certain epileptic conditions to achieve medical stability.

Course Format

Homestudy

Course Syllabus

• I.              Introduction
• II.           Pharmacological Profile
  • 1.         Category
  • 2.         Uses
  • 3.         Mechanisms of Action
  • 4.         Available Forms
  • 5.         Dosing
  • 6.         Dosing Adjustment: Geriatric Patient
  • 7.         Dosing Adjustment: Hepatic Impairment
  • 8.         Dosing Adjustment: Renal Impairment
  • 9.         Dosing Adjustment: Obesity
  • 10.     US Boxed Warning
  • 11.     Contraindications
  • 12.     Warnings
  • 13.     Adverse Reactions
  • 14.     Use During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
  • 15.     Diet
• III.         Phenytoin Blood Level and Other Laboratory Tests
• IV.          Seizure Types
  • 1.   Generalized Tonic-Clonic Seizures
  • 2.   Complex Partial (Psychomotor and Temporal Lobe) Seizures
  • 3.   Status Epilepticus
  • 4.   Neurosurgery and Seizures
• V.            Clinical Pearls: Phenytoin
• VI.          Phenytoin Overdose
  • 1.   Patient Groups and Comorbidities
  • 2.   Treatment Compliance, Drug Levels and Complications
• VII.       Case Study
  • 1.   Discussion
• VIII.     Summary

Author

Dana Bartlett, RN, BSN, MSN, MA, CSPI

Dana Bartlett is a professional nurse and author. His clinical experience includes 16 years of ICU and ER experience and over 27 years as a poison control center information specialist. Dana has published numerous CE and journal articles, written NCLEX material, textbook chapters, and more than 100 online CE articles, and done editing and reviewing for publishers such as Elsevier, Lippincott, and Thieme. He has written widely on the subject of toxicology and was a contributing editor, toxicology section, for Critical Care Nurse journal. He is currently employed at the Connecticut Poison Control Center. He lives in Wappingers Falls, NY.