Question

Consider a clinical situation with a terminally ill client who is close to natural death and receiving increased doses of an opioid medication for pain relief but is experiencing significant respiratory depression due to the medication. Provide evidence-based rationale for your responses to the questions below. Would you give the next dose of opioid medication? What factors influenced your decision? What would be the consequences of your decision for you as the nurse? What would be the consequences of your decision for the client and the client’s family?

Answer 1

Since patient is in terminal stage ,and he is having significn respiratory depression due to opiates so naloxone can be given as antidote but it will not prevent analgesia, and patient will again cry due to secere pain it will be an emotional hit to to the client's family and relatives , so the main purpose of the next management is to provide client is peaceful and easy end, though end is never easy, so opioids should be continued to be given despite of the respiratory depresseion. However New approaches to prevent opioid respiratory depression without affecting analgesia have led to the experimental application of serotinine agonists, ampakines, and the antibiotic minocycline, and since we don't have anything much left to do so we can try above medication too.

Hope this help. All the best ?