An adult male patient is 1 day postoperative from a total hip replacement. The patient is rocking back and forth with a facial grimace. On a pain scale of 0 to 10, with 10 being the greatest pain, the patient reports a pain level of 10
Which medications would be most appropriate for the nurse to administer to this patient?
a. 60 mg morphine sulfate PO
b. 75 mg meperidine (Demerol) intramuscularly
c. 6 mg morphine sulfate intravenously
d. Duragesic (Fentanyl) patch 50 mcg transdermally
ANS: C
The intravenous route is the fastest route of absorption and the one most appropriate for a patient in extreme pain who is being given morphine sulfate.
With the oral route, the medication would take at least 45 minutes to be effective, too long for a patient in extreme pain.
With the intramuscular route, the medication would take at least 15 minutes to be effective; although faster than the oral route, this is not as fast as the intravenous route.
A duragesic patch would be the most inappropriate route because of the long drug half-life. This is a more appropriate route for long-term use.
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