[Music] aspirin you've probably heard of it before in fact someone you know probably takes aspirin a drug used by nearly 1 in 10 americans but how exactly does this drug work what is it used for and what are its major side effects in this mnemonic video we'll give you an easy visual walkthrough of everything you need to know about aspirin first take a look at these huge spurs we're at the local cowboy store where this man is buying some new spurs these spurs will serve as your memory anchor for the drug aspirin get it aspur for asperin aspirin chemically known as acetylsalicylic acid or asa is a very common over-the-counter medication let's move on to aspirin's drug class next shift your gaze over to the sled this is a cowboy store but they also sell these sleds that can be used to pull kids around behind a horse this sled should help you remember that aspirin is an nsaid get it sled for nsaid it's the nsaid sled or the n sled if you will nsaid technically stands for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and if we break down this name exactly what aspirin is it's a drug that reduces inflammation that is not a steroid now that we know that aspirin is an nsaid let's talk about when it's used next take a look at the fire extinguisher here every store has to have a fire extinguisher to comply with safety regulations right here at pixarize we use a fire extinguisher to symbolize anti-inflammatory drugs because fire extinguishers are used to put out flames just like aspirin can be used to put out in flammation get it and since flames are hot a fire extinguisher can also help you remember that aspirin can reduce fevers formerly known as an antipyretic since fevers just describe an elevated body temperature you've probably heard of people taking aspirin for the occasional headache or toothache or perhaps you know someone with arthritis who takes aspirin to reduce inflammation in their joints there is one specific use case for aspirin that is pretty rare but so important to know that we'll cover it normally the cowboy likes to ride his horse but his horse has been misbehaving lately as evidenced by that massive hoof print on his chest so today the cowboy opted for his trusty kawasaki motorcycle this kawasaki motorcycle should help you remember kawasaki disease yep aspirin can be used to treat kawasaki disease kawasaki disease is a rare condition that is characterized by inflammation in the blood vessels occurring primarily in children as a general rule aspirin should not be given to children we'll talk more about that in a minute but kawasaki disease is important because it is the rare exception to this rule the benefits of giving aspirin to children with kawasaki disease outweigh the risks just remember this kawasaki motorcycle to remember that aspirin is given to treat kawasaki disease back to the story not only did the store clerk hang the fire extinguisher on the wall but he also painted a red sign next to it so that everyone would know where it's located to do so the store clerk had to mix paint thinner into his red paint after all he didn't want the paint to clump up while he was painting the way the paint thinner prevents clumps in the red paint reminds me a lot of how aspirin can be used to thin blood so that blood clots don't form makes sense aspirin is a blood thinner specifically an anti-platelet drug that works to prevent the formation of blood clots you see platelets are a type of cell found in the blood that are important to forming blood clots so by blocking platelets aspirin prevents blood clots from forming a low dose of aspirin commonly called baby aspirin is prescribed to patients to prevent the formation of blood clots this can be used to prevent the onset of a stroke or heart attack in patients since both of these conditions are caused by blood clots to the brain or heart preventing blood flow i wasn't kidding when i said the man's horse was misbehaving take a look at the hoof print still imprinted on his chest the horse kicked the man in the chest and he's clearly still experiencing some chest pain no wonder he's buying the biggest pair of spurs he can find and no wonder he rode his motorcycle instead of the horse today this man's chest pain should help you remember that aspirin is also used to treat chest pain or angina associated with acute coronary syndrome you might have heard of the acronym mona for treating patients who are experiencing a heart attack you know m-o-n-a standing for morphine oxygen nitroglycerin and yep you guessed it aspirin okay now with the clinical uses of aspirin out of the way let's move on to the side effects of taking this drug the man buying the spurs needs some assistance from the clerk so he's ringing the surface bell that is set out on the counter those bells are extra loud and annoying so the clerk is covering his ears this ringing bell combined with the clerk covering his ears should help you remember that acute aspirin overdose or toxicity can cause a ringing in the ears called tinnitus when a patient taking aspirin starts to hear ringing in their ears that is the first sign of aspirin toxicity and should be reported to the provider immediately as the nurse you shouldn't give the next aspirin dose without first consulting with the doctor just remember the ringing bell for tinnitus these spurs are extra sharp and a little dangerous the cowboy wasn't careful and the spurs sliced a hole right in his shirt look the hole is so big that we can see his stomach this hole in the shirt over the stomach is here to help you remember that aspirin causes gi ulcers get it since gi ulcers are essentially holes in the lining of the stomach and intestines an important long-term side effect of aspirin use is the formation of ulcers which leads to pain bleeding and other gi symptoms the development of gi ulcers can be mitigated by encouraging the patient to take aspirin with food and water not only did the spur cut a hole in his shirt but it also cut his hand the cowboy is bleeding which makes sense why he's ringing the bell so urgently the way this spur caused the man to start bleeding can remind you that a spurren can also cause bleeding which makes sense when you think about how aspirin is a blood thinner which works to prevent blood from clotting some important nursing considerations include teaching the patient to report signs of bleeding like tarry stools blood in the urine bleeding gums and severe bruising aspirin should be discontinued seven days before invasive surgery and the patient should inform their dentist that they are taking aspirin before getting any invasive dental work to avoid excessive bleeding the store clerk wasn't up at the counter because he was trying to sneak in a quick lunch break because of the ringing bell he's coming back now still holding his sandwich which is made on rye bread rye bread has that characteristic dark color and is here to help you remember that aspirin causes rye syndrome get it rye bread for rise syndrome rye syndrome is a rare but severe condition that occurs when a child with a recent viral infection takes aspirin in these patients aspirin can cause acute liver failure and encephalopathy leading to gi symptoms like vomiting as well as brain symptoms like lethargy this condition may even be fatal and for this reason aspirin is contraindicated in children which brings us to our next symbol we definitely don't want kids to be messing around with these super sharp spurs that's why the clark tagged these as ages 18 plus just like these spurs are not for kids aspirin should not be given to children the main reason is to prevent rye's syndrome which we just talked about if the child has the flu or a cold give them acetaminophen or tylenol instead of aspirin as we covered the only exception to this rule is kawasaki disease where the benefits of taking aspirin outweigh the costs but for most purposes you should just remember to avoid aspirin in kids last but not least notice that there is a no alcohol sign in the store window it's pretty common for retail stores to put up signs like this you don't want drunk people in a store full of sharp and dangerous spurs right this no alcohol sign should remind you that people taking aspirin should avoid alcohol the combination of aspirin and alcohol increases the risk of gi ulcers bleeding and liver damage alright that's all for this mnemonic on aspirin let's recap what we've learned here aspirin is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug or nsaid drug it has anti-inflammatory and antipyretic properties that make it great for treating fevers headaches and arthritis pain it is also the treatment of choice for kawasaki disease a rare inflammatory disease that occurs in children importantly aspirin is a blood thinner used to prevent thrombotic events like strokes or heart attacks aspirin can also be used to treat chest pain in people experiencing acute coronary syndrome the side effects of aspirin can be divided into findings of acute toxicity and long-term effects acute toxicity or overdose is characterized by tinnitus or a ringing in the ears which should be reported to the provider immediately long-term effects of aspirin include the development of gi ulcers and bleeding aspirin should be avoided in all children due to the risk of causing rye syndrome finally aspirin should not be taken with alcohol and now we're actually done with aspirin go get yourself a pair of spurs before you go cowboy see you next time [Music] thanks for watching for more videos like this one subscribe to our channel and check out our newest lessons for more resources on this topic including fact lists and interactive review images click the image next to the more here arrow i'll see you next time