Medication 7-280 - Hydralazine (Apresoline)

Polk, Hickory, Cedar, & St Clair EMS Protocols

Scope of Practice:

• Registered Nurse
• Paramedic

Route(s):

• IM/SQ, IO, IV,

Pharmacodynamics (class and mechanism of action):

• Vasodilator (Directly dilates peripheral blood vessels.).

Pharmacokinetics:

• Half-life: 3-7 hours.
• Onset time:
• IM: 10-30 minutes.
• IO/IV: 5-20 minutes.
• Peak action time:
• IM: 60 minutes.
• IO/IV: 10-80 minutes.
• Duration of action: 2-6 hours.

• Peak	24	48	72	96	120	144	168	192	216	240	264	minutes
  Duration	24	48	72	96	120	144	168	192	216	240	264	minutes

Dosing:

• Refer to specific protocol(s) below for dose(s).

Indications:

• Protocol 2-528 - Hypertension.

Contraindications:

• Taking diazoxide or MAOIs.
• Coronary artery disease.
• Stroke.
• Angina.
• Aortic aneurysm.
• Heart disease.

Pregnancy Risk Factor:

• Category C
• Risk not ruled out: Animal reproduction studies have shown an adverse effect on the fetus and there are no adequate and well-controlled studies in humans, but potential benefits may warrant use of the drug in pregnant women despite potential risks. FDA requires a relatively large amount of high-quality data on a pharmaceutical for it to be defined as Pregnancy Category A. As a result of this, many drugs that would be considered Pregnancy Category A in other countries are allocated to Category C by the FDA.

Potential Incompatibilities:

• NA.

Precautions and Adverse Effects:

• May cause reflex Tachycardia, headache, Angina, flushing, palpitations, anorexia, Nausea, Vomiting, diarrhea, hypotension, syncope, vasodilation, edema, and/or paresthesias.

Antidote:

• NA.

Controlled Substance Information:

• Not a scheduled drug
• The DEA and FDA have not identified this drug with a schedule classification.
• DEA number: NA.
• Narcotic: No.
• Street names: NA.

CMH PHS Mission: "Provide safe, exceptional, and compassionate care to our communities with an emphasis on highly trained and empowered staff."

Polk, Hickory, Cedar, & St Clair County EMS Protocols by Theron Becker is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.