Cardiovascular Pharmacology of the Older Patient

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Cardiovascular Disease in the Elderly

Part of the book series: Contemporary Cardiology ((CONCARD))

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Abstract

Pharmacology involves not only pharmacokinetics but also pharmacodynamics and the principles affecting the proper selection, dosing, and monitoring of medications. Medications are our principal tools to maintain health, reverse illness, and prolong patient survival, hopefully with good quality of life. Yet medications can also cause serious illness and fail to have the desired effect if we use them incorrectly. As patients age, the manner in which they metabolize, eliminate, and respond to medications changes. Additionally, medications can be very expensive, and the cost to individual patients, hospitals, and our health system can become almost prohibitive. So the proper use of medications is critically important, and adjusting doses for changing patient physiology as they age is imperative.

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Correspondence to Brent G. Petty .

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Petty, B.G. (2023). Cardiovascular Pharmacology of the Older Patient. In: Leucker, T.M., Gerstenblith, G. (eds) Cardiovascular Disease in the Elderly. Contemporary Cardiology. Humana, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-16594-8_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-16594-8_3

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  • Publisher Name: Humana, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-16593-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-16594-8

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