them quickly and can easily handle most negative situations.
3. Extra vigilance is required with propofol, because you can't
reverse its effects with Narcan or Romazicon. If an airway manage-
ment problem occurs, mechanical intervention is needed, whether
it's a chin lift or an emergency intubation.
4. RNs and GI docs rarely intubate patients under any circumstances,
let alone during emergencies. That lack of experience can result in
tragedy in a patient who turns out to be a difficult intubation. While all
healthcare professionals can be trained to manage airways, anesthesia
professionals have not only received extensive airway management
training through formal education, they also deal with it on a daily basis.
5. There are legal issues to consider. If an adverse event leads to a
negative outcome, will the physician have overstepped his bounds by
asking a nurse to
administer a drug and
monitor a patient to
an extent not truly
within the scope of
practice? It's a slip-
pery slope and one
that could increase
liability in the event
of a lawsuit.
— Perry Ruspantine,
CRNA, APRN
1 9
M A R C H 2 0 1 5 | O U T P AT 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
Mr. Ruspantine (per-
ryr@anesprof.com) is
clinical compliance man-
ager for Anesthesia
Professionals in
Dartmouth, Mass.
