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A Deep Dive Into Surface Disinfection - October 2017 - Subscribe to Outpatient Surgery Magazine

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Avoid Opioid-Related Respiratory Depression Continuous electronic monitoring tops pulse oximetry or spot checks. A t certain dosages, the opioids you give to patients to manage surgical pain can lead to respiratory depression— and overdoses can lead to respiratory failure. Intermittent spot checks of oxygenation (pulse oximetry) and ventilation (nursing assessment) are not adequate for reliably recognizing drug- induced respiratory depression in the post- operative period. Rather, you should consider continuous electronic monitoring with both pulse oximetry for oxygenation and capnography for the adequacy of venti- lation for patients undergoing moderate and conscious sedation, as well as for those managing pain using a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump. • Pulse oximetry. Pulse oximetry is a lagging indicator of respirato- 3 0 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • O C T O B E R 2 0 1 7 Safety Michael Wong, JD • KNOW SOONER Studies have shown that monitoring of end-tidal CO 2 provides an earlier indication of respiratory distress than intermittent checks or pulse oximetry. Pamela Bevelhymer, RN, BSN, CNOR

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