Nokea
A preterm infant has just been admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. The infants parents ask the nurse about anesthesia and analgesia when painful procedures are necessary. What should the nurses explanation be?
- A. Nerve pathways of neonates are not sufficiently myelinated to transmit painful stimuli.
- B. The risks accompanying anesthesia and analgesia are too great to justify any possible benefit of pain relief.
- C. Neonates do not possess sufficiently integrated cortical function to interpret or recall pain experiences.
- D. Pain pathways and neurochemical systems associated with pain transmission are intact and functional in neonates.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Pain pathways and neurochemical systems associated with pain transmission are intact and functional in neonates. Painful stimuli cause a global stress response, including cardiorespiratory changes, palmar sweating, increased intracranial pressure, and hormonal and metabolic changes. Adequate analgesia and anesthesia are necessary to decrease the stress response. The pathways are sufficiently myelinated to transmit the painful stimuli and produce the pain response. Local and systemic pharmacologic agents are available to permit anesthesia and analgesia for neonates.
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The nurse is caring for a child receiving a continuous intravenous (IV) low-dose infusion of morphine for severe postoperative pain. The nurse observes a slower respiratory rate, and the child cannot be aroused. The most appropriate management of this child is for the nurse to do which first?
- A. Administer naloxone (Narcan).
- B. Discontinue the IV infusion.
- C. Discontinue morphine until the child is fully awake.
- D. Stimulate the child by calling his or her name, shaking gently, and asking the child to breathe deeply.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The management of opioid-induced respiratory depression includes lowering the rate of infusion and stimulating the child. If the respiratory rate is depressed and the child cannot be aroused, then IV naloxone should be administered. The child will be in pain because of the reversal of the morphine. The morphine should be discontinued, but naloxone is indicated if the child is unresponsive.
What is an important consideration when using the FACES pain rating scale with children?
- A. Children color the face with the color they choose to best describe their pain.
- B. The scale can be used with most children as young as 3 years.
- C. The scale is not appropriate for use with adolescents.
- D. The FACES scale is useful in pain assessment but is not as accurate as physiologic responses.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The FACES scale is validated for use with children ages 3 years and older. Children point to the face that best describes their level of pain. The scale can be used through adulthood. The childs estimate of the pain should be used. The physiologic measures may not reflect more long-term pain.
The parents of a preterm infant in a neonatal intensive care unit are concerned about their infant experiencing pain from so many procedures. The nurses response should be based on which characteristic about preterm infants pain?
- A. They may react to painful stimuli but are unable to remember the pain experience.
- B. They perceive and react to pain in much the same manner as children and adults.
- C. They do not have the cortical and subcortical centers that are needed for pain perception.
- D. They lack neurochemical systems associated with pain transmission and modulation.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Numerous research studies have indicated that preterm and newborn infants perceive and react to pain in the same manner as children and adults. Preterm infants can have significant reactions to painful stimuli. Pain can cause oxygen desaturation and global stress response. These physiologic effects must be avoided by use of appropriate analgesia. Painful stimuli cause a global stress response, including cardiorespiratory changes, palmar sweating, increased intracranial pressure, and hormonal and metabolic changes. Adequate analgesia and anesthesia are necessary to decrease the stress response.
What is a significant common side effect that occurs with opioid administration?
- A. Euphoria
- B. Diuresis
- C. Constipation
- D. Allergic reactions
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Constipation is one of the most common side effects of opioid administration. Preventive strategies should be implemented to minimize this problem. Sedation is a more common result than euphoria. Urinary retention, not diuresis, may occur with opiates. Rarely, some individuals may have pruritus.
A bone marrow aspiration and biopsy are needed on a school-age child. The most appropriate action to provide analgesia during the procedure is which?
- A. Administer TAC (tetracaine, adrenalin, and cocaine) 15 minutes before the procedure.
- B. Use a combination of fentanyl and midazolam for conscious sedation.
- C. Apply EMLA (eutectic mixture of local anesthetics) 1 hour before the procedure.
- D. Apply a transdermal fentanyl (Duragesic) patch immediately before the procedure.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: A bone marrow biopsy is a painful procedure. The combination of fentanyl and midazolam should be used to provide conscious sedation. TAC provides skin anesthesia about 15 minutes after it is applied to nonintact skin. The gel can be placed on a wound for suturing. It is not sufficient for a bone marrow biopsy. EMLA is an effective topical analgesic agent when applied to the skin 60 minutes before a procedure. It eliminates or reduces the pain from most procedures involving skin puncture. For this procedure, systemic analgesia is required. Transdermal fentanyl patches are useful for continuous pain control, not rapid pain control.