A young man is brought to the emergency department (ED) by friends, who say they found him at his home unresponsive. The prescriber suspects that he was poisoned
During the assessment, the man mumbles a word and becomes comatose. The nurse should immediately prepare to administer
a. intravenous flumazenil (Romazicon).
b. syrup of ipecac.
c. activated charcoal.
d. intravenous dextrose.
ANS: D
Intravenous (IV) dextrose should be given immediately for coma of unknown etiology, even if information on the blood glucose level is lacking.
Flumazenil (Romazicon) is indicated for benzodiazepine overdose.
Syrup of ipecac should not be administered to patients with decreased levels of consciousness. Because the drug induces vomiting, the comatose patient would be at risk for aspiration.
If administered within 30 minutes after poison ingestion, charcoal can absorb about 90% of the poison. If administered 60 minutes after poison ingestion, this is decreased to 37% absorption. Although poisoning is suspected, there is no indication of time of ingestion. Therefore, this would not be the best option for treatment.
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