Reference no: EM133751073

Question

Respond to this The 50-year-old women presenting to the clinic with heart failure symptoms would be classified as stage c, symptomatic heart failure with ejection fraction less than 40%. Since this patient is already taking a low dose thiazide diuretic (HCTZ), the first step would be to increase her daily dose to 25 mg daily, not to exceed 200 mg (Hydrochlorothiazide, 2024). Also, this patient is taking ibuprofen for arthritis pain which should be switched to acetaminophen 1,000 mg up to four times per day as needed (Harvard Health, 2024). Ibuprofen can increase blood pressure and may increase risk of damaged kidneys in combination with antihypertensives (UCLA Health, 2022). Another medication change that may improve this patient's heart failure and blood pressure is to remove the calcium channel blocker (verapamil) and add an ace inhibitor such as lisinopril 10 mg daily. There is a combination pill form of lisinopril and HCTZ which could help this patient adhere to the plan with less pills to deal with. After any medication changes, the patient should be seen again for follow up in two weeks. The patient should also invest in a blood pressure cuff for home use to check her blood pressure.