DRUG ABSORPTION

Team Kester

What is the process by which drugs are transferred from the site of entry into the body to the bloodstream?

Age Groups
Neonate- birth to 1 year of age

Pediatric- 1 to 17 years of age

Geriatric- 65 years old and up

What Factors Affect Absorption?

Vehicle administration of drug Food and fluid taken with drug Properties/formulation of drug

Rate of blood flow

Stomach acidity GI mobility

Vehicle Administration of Drug

Enteral (oral, buccal, rectal) Parenteral (Intravenous- fastest

delivery, intramuscular, subcutaneous) Topical (skin, lungs, vagina, ears, nose, eyes)

Enteral
In geriatric patients, oral medications are often taken

with food to assist with administration

Parenteral
In pediatric patients, intramuscular injections

are avoided due to tissue damage In neonate patients, intramuscular absorption is erratic due to lack of muscle and fat tissue

Topical

In neonate patients, topical medications are

absorbed faster because their skin is very thing and they have a large body surface area In pediatric patients, skin disruptions such as burns and eczema increase absorption

Frequent feeding of infants impedes drug absorption.

Physicochemical Properties/Dosage Form of Drug

Liquid and syrups offer a faster delivery

of drugs than enteric-coated tablets Lipid solubility, molecular weight and polarity

Rate of Blood Flow

In geriatric patients, reduced blood

flow to GI tract In neonate patients, decreased renal blood flow In pediatric patients, diminished muscle mass may reduce blood flow

Stomach Acidity
In neonate patients, variable

gastric pH leads to diminished absorption In pediatric patients, gastric pH is less acidic In geriatric patients, gastric acid secretin is decreased

Gastrointestinal Mobility
In neonate patients, prolonged

gastric transit time leads to diminished absorption Gastric emptying rates are faster for pediatric patients than in neonates In geriatric patients, gastric emptying time is increased

Why does a nurse need to know about absorption?

They do not
To know which route of drug administration to use

Both B and D
To make sure medications are given safely

All of the above

What Difference Does Absorption Make in Patient Care

Provides higher quality health care
Deliver the right medication in the right dosage to

the right patient type. Improves patients experiences They are getting the correct drug in the correct form in the correct dosage Increases efficiency The correct drug is going to the correct patient (hopefully without human error)

Credits
RN, Carol Taylor, CSFN, MSN, PhD Carol Lillis RN, MSN Priscilla

LeMone RN, DSN, FAAN Pamela Lynn RN, . Fundamentals of Nursing, 7th Edition. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. <vbk:9781451105957#page(1683)>.
http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/clinical_pharmacology/pharmaco

kinetics/drug_absorption.html
http://howmed.net/pharmacology/factors-affecting-absorption-of-drugs/ http://www.clinchem.org/content/35/7/1337.full.pdf