In this episode, I’ll discuss alternatives to fentanyl for continuous sedation due to the shortage.
Link to evidence referenced in this video.
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reki baboo says
Hello Pharmacy Joe,
There is a shortage of fentanyl drips and I know you can use sufentanil as an alternative. Can you tell me how to compound a sufentanil drip (what is the concentration) ? What rate to infuse for ICU sedation? Also, are there any recent references supporting this practice?
Thanks Pharmacy Joe,
Reki.
Pharmacy Joe says
We make our sufentanil 1mcg/mL so that it is equianalgesic with or standard fentanyl 10 mcg/ml concentration. I believe our IV used Trissels as a reference. We start at 5 mcg/hr and titrate from there in 2.5mcg/hr increments. Just below the video there is a link to some evidence.