What type of analgesic do they use in A& E departments and in what doses?

Question

Also what would paramedics do for sucking chest wounds.And what facilities etc do they have in ITU's for dealing with these wounds. It is for a novel that i am writing.

Answer 1

Generally in the departments they use morphine or fentanyl..it just depends on what specific use they are using it for. .. to take the edge off or to really make them comfortable. Generally the morphine is given in mg. Starting anywhere from 2 mg -10mg and more if needed. Fentanyl has a dose of 25-50 mcg I.V. every 3-5 minutes to desired affect. Maximum dose of 500 mcg/4hrs. there are higher doses used for major procedures and surgical procedures but the dose given is generally what is used in the A & E departments. I am sure there are others but this is two that are at the top of my head and that Paramedics use prehospitally and is better to sometimes continue in the departments. As for a sucking chest wound...Paramedics would treat this by making sure to seal it. It would need to be seeled on both sides of the wound. If there is a through and through. If it is just noted on one side without an exit wound then it would just be seeled there. But never-the-less, it must be covered with an occlusive dressing and taped on three sides allowing seeping and oozing blood out of the wound through the one open side (generally at the bottom or can be side) Then the biggest thing after that is to make sure to monitor the patients breathing consistantly and keep listening to breathe sounds. Making sure that nothing worse happens like a pnuemothorax or a hemothorax that would need further treatment. It is a late sign to see tracheal deviation with an injury such as this. Also, this patient would have to have vital signs monitored, a heart monitor on, an I.V. for Medications, Oxygen on with a mask at 15 liters per minute. I hope this helps a little. It will give you some more terminology to search on the internet maybe. Good Luck!!