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2013
Awards
Opioid Safety
GOOD ADVICE
Always be aware of
a patient's sedation
level, says Jodi
Lange, RN, BSN.
Meridian Mark Surgery Center, Children's
Healthcare of Atlanta, Ga.
There's a fine line between keeping a patient
comfortable with opioids and respiratory
depression, says Jodi Lange, RN, BSN, clinical
educator at Meridian Mark Surgery Center,
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Ga. Know
when to intervene: "Speak up and wake up,"
says Ms. Lange. "If you see your patient sliding down the continuum of consciousness
leading to respiratory depression, then immediately stop giving the medication and speak
to the physician. Don't be afraid to wake your
patient up. If you start seeing subtle signs —
such as respiratory rate, labored breathing, oxygenation, lip color —
then it is definitely time to intervene."
No to Opioids, Yes to Relief
Adult & Children's Surgery Center of SW Florida,
Fort Myers, Fla.
Satisfied patients ask, "Why don't they do this everywhere?" thanks to
the center's effective and narcotics-free methods of controlling pain.
Anesthesiologist Gary Lawson, MD, says 8 to 20mg of dexamethasone
works in less than a minute to control searing pain, that low doses of
ketamine (0.1mg/kg) provide a potent analgesic without the disassociation of narcotics, and that 30mg of ketorolac provides the pain relief of
10mg of morphine, without the euphoria. Dr. Lawson says fewer than 5%
of the center's patients, including many with chronic pain syndrome,
S E P T E M B E R 2013 | O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E
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