A question for paramedics?

Question

if a victim with a fentanyl overdose is apneic with a pulse what will the ekg show then?

Answer 1

Symptoms of a Fentanyl overdose can include: slow or difficult breathing, severe sleepiness or sedation, cognitive disturbances, dizziness or faintness, confusion, and other abnormal reactions.

EKG would show ST-T elevations and in some patients would show QT elongation. It has been found that in some patients, pulsus alternans is present, which is a physical finding with arterial pulse waveform showing alternating strong and weak beats. It is almost always indicative of left ventricular systolic impairment, and carries a poor prognosis.

Three years ago there were new fentanyl warnings from the maker of DURAGESIC (fentanyl transdermal), issued to bring attention to new boxed warnings in the product label related to improper prescribing (www.fda.gov/medwatch/SAFETY/2005/durage... Likewise, FDA issued a Public Health Advisory (www.fda.gov/cder/drug/advisory/fentanyl... to alert healthcare providers that deaths and overdoses had occurred in patients using both the brand name product Duragesic and the generic product. Despite these warnings, label changes, and publication of prescribing problems in ISMP newsletters and elsewhere, some practitioners still seem UNAWARE of the dangers with this potent narcotic and the proper prescribing guidelines. There have been quite a few deaths from fentanyl overdose.