Aspirin Nursing Considerations, Side Effects, and Mechanism of Action Pharmacology for Nurses

Generic Name : Aspirin Trade Name: Bayer Aspirin Indication: rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, ischemic stroke and MI prophylaxis Action inhibits the production of prostaglandins which leads to a reduction of fever and inflammation, decreases platelet aggregation leading to a decrease in ischemic diseases Therapeutic Class: antipyretics, non-opioid analgesics Pharmacologic Class salicylates Nursing Considerations:  use caution in bleeding disorders, chronic alcohol use  may lead to Stevens-Johnson syndrome, laryngeal edema, and anaphylaxis  increases risk for bleeding with warfarin, heparin, and clopidogrel  increased risk for GI bleeding with NSAID use  monitor liver function tests  concurrent use with alcohol may increase risk for GI bleeding  aspirin with viral infections can cause Reye's syndrome