A.N. is in severe pain. What is the drug of choice for pain relief after burn injury, and how
should it be given?
What will be an ideal response?
• The drug of choice for pain management is IV morphine sulfate, 25 to 50 mcg/kg/hr, titrated to
prevent respiratory depression. Many burn units initially administer morphine sulfate by patient
controlled analgesia (PCA) pump. Fentanyl can also be used for some patients.
• Because burn injuries can cause impairment of muscle and subcutaneous tissue and because the
gastrointestinal tract has decreased perfusion related to the burn injury, medications administered
by mouth, intramuscularly, or subcutaneously are not absorbed consistently.
• Sedation also plays a role, particularly during wound care; ketamine hydrochloride (Ketalar),
midazolam (Versed), and lorazepam (Ativan) are commonly used.
You might also like to view...
An adult client is admitted to the emergency department with symptoms of acute pancreatitis. Which nursing diagnoses are appropriate for this client?
Select all that apply. A) Acute Pain B) Impaired Swallowing C) Deficient Fluid Volume D) Nausea E) Imbalanced Nutrition, less than body requirement
Which term refers to a medication that interferes with metabolic functions in cells?
a. Antibiotic b. Alkylating agent c. Antimetabolite d. Mitotic inhibitor
A study was conducted to evaluate a new method of teaching medication dose calculation to nursing students. The mean score on the exam was X = 82.3 with a standard deviation of 4.6. What is the range of scores for 95.44% of the students?
1. 77.7-86.9 2. 73.1-91.5 3. 68.5-96.1 4. 70.1-90.5
Upon reading a patient's history, the nurse learns that the patient has a condition that has affected the rods in his eyes. Considering this information, the nurse will:
A) Provide adequate lighting in the patient's room to help him achieve his best vision B) Provide a dimly lit room to assist the patient in achieving his best vision C) Carefully point out color differences for the patient D) Carefully point out fine details for the patient