Lidocaine infusion for pain

[nurse2033]

My ED is looking into a whole "narc free" model of pain treatment including Lidocaine infusion for pain. Does anyone have experience with this? Does it work? I've given it plenty prior to Amiodarone but never had a patient say it helped with pain.

[pockunit, ADN, RN]

NYT published a story about an ER going mostly narc-free. It was pretty interesting. I'd like it if we gave it a try, but I don't think management would go for it.

[nurse2033, MSN, RN]

Nitrous is good for wound cleaning and painful procedures. It is on hold for now due to equipment issues.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

It's coming from our CEO and some interest at the state level.

Hopefully, those who want to force this type of cruelty upon the average patient will find him/herself in the most severe pain known to man - soon and prolonged. Burns, fractures, kidney stones, whatever it takes.

Then they might stop being influenced by the idiocy being put forth by the DEA, the AMA, whoever. It started, I suppose, with acknowledging the heroin deaths, deaths from other illegal drugs and illegally obtained Percocet and the like. It's great to want to deal with these situations, but not to go insane to not use any narcotics at all when people truly need pain relief.

[That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

I work at one of those "narc free" ( which by the way is the biggest misnomer ever ) and we have seen an increase in patient satisfaction on pain control. The horror, I know. its not that we don't use narcs, we do we use plenty, its just not everyone gets them when they walk through the door.

[Guest219794]

I also work in a narcotics free environment.

Wait- got that backwards. Free narcotics.

Lidocaine might be a wonder drug in treating certain types of pain, but it won't treat the pain of narcotic withdrawal, OIH, and won't get you high.

Also, if this catches on, thousands and thousands of patients will claim allergies despite none ever being seen. How are they gonna get teeth pulled or stitches?