Jan 29, 2013
Medication regimens
in patients with Parkinson’s Disease may be complex, partly owing
to the short one-to-two hour half-life of the primary medication,
carbidopa-levodopa (Sinemet). When these patients are subject to
prolonged medication withholding because of NPO restrictions prior
to surgery, symptoms become exacerbated quickly and patients can
become agitated, hallucinate and suffer extreme rigidity. AJN
editor in chief Shawn Kennedy discusses the findings of these two
studies with the authors and the implications for nurses.