Plastic surgical nursing : official journal of the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgical Nurses
-
Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a hypermetabolic syndrome triggered in genetically susceptible individuals when certain potent inhalation anesthetics or succinylcholine are administered. The signs of MH include a greatly increased body metabolism, muscle rigidity and eventual hyperthermia that may exceed 110 degrees F. Death can result from cardiac arrest, brain damage, internal hemorrhaging or failure of other body systems. ⋯ High-risk patients cannot always be identified by history, and preparation of every OR is essential. Supplies of dantrolene and other medications must be kept in the OR area. If MH develops, acting within minutes may save a life.
-
Responsibility for patient comfort has always been the concern of the nurse. Conscious sedation and or local anesthesia are commonly becoming the primary method of anesthesia for a variety of outpatient plastic surgical procedures. ⋯ Furthermore, many patients now request nonchemical adjuncts for anxiolysis and sedation as well as for analgesia in the surgical suite. This article will provide the nurse with a basic overview of one such alternative, music, including a brief historical review, relevant research, and guidelines for use of music with the operative client.
-
Conscious sedation is an appropriate choice for patients who do not require a general anesthetic, but rather need sedation to alleviate anxiety, minimize the discomfort of less invasive surgical procedures, or even to tolerate a regional or local anesthetic. New pharmaceutical agents, with their short half lives, provide amnesia, analgesia, and sedation quite safely. ⋯ Standards and guidelines have been extensively developed by the American Society of Anesthesiologists, and the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, to set forth a practice for all providers that will promote patient safety and provider vigilance (AANA, 1998). The purpose of this article is to review the process of conscious sedation.