In this episode, I’ll discuss a tip to predict pharmacotherapy needs in rapid response or emergent situations.
At the beginning of any rapid response or emergent procedure such as rapid sequence intubation, make a note of your patient’s starting heart rate, rhythm, oxygen saturation, and blood pressure. Any significant change in these vital signs could signal clinical deterioration and can serve as a prompt for you to obtain additional medications to serve the needs of the patient.
For example, new-onset bradycardia and hypoxia during a difficult intubation may be a signal to obtain atropine or the code cart, while tachycardia and hypotension may be a signal to obtain vasopressors and IV fluids. Predicting pharmacotherapy needs in advance shortens the lag time from physician order to medication administration, which may be exactly what is needed to have a positive impact on the care of your patient.
Get my 6 tips for pharmacists responding to codes in my free download area at pharmacyjoe.com/free. It’s download #16 on the list.
If you like this post, check out my book – A Pharmacist’s Guide to Inpatient Medical Emergencies: How to respond to code blue, rapid response calls, and other medical emergencies.
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