[Pete495]

Just so you know, they do have OPEN MRI now, which will eliminate most of your anxieties. Not all facilities are up to date with the equipment however, so the sites are often spread out. In your case, I would travel the extra distance I had to get to one, that is if your insurance will pay for it.

[TinyNurse]

I know that some states use diprovan routinely for conscious sedation admin by the RN , others it must be admin by the MD. This is a very interesting post.

[sjt9721]

Originally Posted by UCDSICURN

Conscious sedation has a very specific definition. The patient must be able to maintain their own airway and be arousable. If they cannot maintain a patent airway on their own or they cannot be aroused then you have gone beyond conscious sedation. (edited by sjt9721)
Donn C.

I agree. Propofol, even in procedural doses, is NOT considered conscious sedation. If propofol is being used, the patient is 'deeper' and does not meet the definition of conscious sedation.

Conscious sedation agents such as narcotics and benzodiazipines have reversal agents that are readily available during procedures. And properly trained RNs can assess for and administer these medications. Sedation using propofol does not meet the definition of "conscious" and should be left up to those with anesthetic administration credentials.

[suzanne4]

The post that you are responding to today is two years old.

Please look at the dates that a thread was posted if pulling it up from the archives.

Thanks in advance.......................

[NurseasPatient]

First let me say thanks for the info. I am aware that OPEN MRIs are available in some areas. I had traveled 12 hours from my home to see this specialist & to have the tests he ordered in the facility it was ordered in.
I would imagine if they had an open MRI they would of offered it as I'm sure (very sure now) that it is certainly a safer alternative to anesthesia.
The oncologist suggested sedation- due to my anxiety over both being diagnosed with malignant cancer (that has killed nearly ever ancestor of one side of my family) & the many tests & tortuous procedures I have endured this year. I as an LPN (not claiming any great knowledge of medicine) am aware of the dangers of anesthesia but sure did not think that anyone who is supposed to know alot more about it than me would be so RETARDED as to give me a med that would cause me to stop breathing while in a tube not intubated. I guess in the future I will ask more questions before letting them use just anything. One of my greatest lessons this year? If you don't know a little bit about medicine you are pretty much screwed & sometimes even if you do you still are. I don't mean to come off as sarcastic - honestly I don't- but sometimes things are not as simple as "have an open MRI" I felt safe in having it there under anesthesia & it was necessary that it be done there so the Dr. could quickly review the results with the me.
My insurance pays for MRI wherever I chose to have one. Thankfully it is excellent insurance & in the future before having an MRI I will be sure to discuss all avenues of anesthesia/sedation/open MRI etc so this never happens again. I've certainly got enough trying to kill me without anesthesia helping.
Thanks again.

[SigmaSRNA]

Originally Posted by New CCU RN

NOOOOO Way.... not all ICU patients are trached or intubated........ we often do procedures requiring conscious sedation on non-intubated patients... cardioversions, TEE's, scopes, etc.

I think he meant the patients in the ICU on propofol infusions.

[miloisstinky]

I just read an article regarding the safety of RN's administering propofol for conscious sedation. But why the heck would you risk your license without the proper training or licensing to back you up, ive heard of RN's refusing to do this, and now that i am in a nurse anesthesia program....it scares the hell out of me about how little i knew about managing an airway.

[rn29306]

You wanna see the absence of intelligence concerning propofol usage?
There is a thread under the GI and Emergency nursing specialties regarding propofol that perhaps everyone here should read. Some of the posts are actually quite hilarious in nature.

The infamous, 16 page, 14,000+ hit GI Propofol debate:
http://allnurses.com/forums/f21/propofol-13194.html

ER thread:
http://allnurses.com/forums/f18/propofol-130833.html

[SigmaSRNA]

Originally Posted by miloisstinky

I just read an article regarding the safety of RN's administering propofol for conscious sedation. But why the heck would you risk your license without the proper training or licensing to back you up, ive heard of RN's refusing to do this, and now that i am in a nurse anesthesia program....it scares the hell out of me about how little i knew about managing an airway.

I second that emotion!!!!

[NurseasPatient]

Originally Posted by rn29306

You wanna see the absence of intelligence concerning propofol usage?
There is a thread under the GI and Emergency nursing specialties regarding propofol that perhaps everyone here should read. Some of the posts are actually quite hilarious in nature.

The infamous, 16 page, 14,000+ hit GI Propofol debate:
http://allnurses.com/forums/f21/propofol-13194.html

ER thread:
http://allnurses.com/forums/f18/propofol-130833.html

Good grief! There are some real derilects administering this very potent med! I just read some of their posts! I always tried as a nurse to never work out of the scope of my training. Why in the "L" would anyone want to administer something they are not completely trained & licensed to use?! I have to wonder if they have ever heard the phrase "first do no harm"?? I hope at least a few of these "heroes of resuscitation" pull their head out of their behinds before they kill somebody! (please excuse if I have misspelled anything- another symptom of this mess I have- never used to have probs. writing- drives me nuts)!