Adenosine patient

[blacknurse30]

Hello nurses...im a new diagnosed SVT patient and i recently rushed to my doctor office as a walk in thinking i was having a panic attack but 10x worse than a panic attack. As a approached the receptionist in a frantic i told her i need to see my doctor because im about to die, she asked if i were having a panic attack i said yes but this feel worse than a panic attack. As they brought me to the back my heart rate was 245...they did a EKG and i was rushed to the ER..In the ER the i told the Dr. That i was having thevworse panic attack EVER. To make a long story short, after hooking me up to the monitors this was not a panic attack i was in SVT. They brought the crash cart in started IVs and i thought surely i was on my way to see JESUS. They pushed adenosine three times in total 24mg IV plus gave me IV metroprolol in order to get me to covert and im telling u as a patient IT does feel like an out of body experience, i literally felt my heart stop working and i thought to myself is this what people feel when they die...it felt like my spirit lifted straight out of me, my hearing left but my eyes were still open but i couldnt talk..IT WAS BRIEF like 10 sec...only the patient can tell u EXACTLY what it feel like to them to get adenosine IV, its a scary feeling.for sure...

[Lev, MSN, RN, NP]

Yes, from what I have heard, it is quite an experience.

P.s Panic attacks can cause SVT, but SVT can also cause you to feel extreme panic.

[emtpbill, ASN, RN, EMT-P]

Sorry to hear about your experience. If they gave you 3 doses of adenosine then you probably got 32mg total. Standard doses are 6mg fast IVP followed by 12mg and if they doesn't work another 12mg. All given super fast with a flush chaser to push it.

[javaRx]

I agree with emtpbill. Sometimes we can give a verbal warning on what it may feel like and what to expect (i.e. Out of body experience/painful and you might see a flatline for a few seconds).

On the other hand, sometimes we are so focused on critical tasks and timing of medications that we don't have time or forget. Sorry you had to go through it!

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

I tell patients we are rebooting their heart with adenosine, and I have had multiple patients tell me that it feels like dying. I have had calm patients burst into tears at the sensation — not from pain, but from that fear of your heart stopping. I hope your rate stays controlled from now on!

[Brandidrn]

I know I had to have it done I am much more sympathetic to patients now

[bear14]

My dad had it and he said it feels like you are spinning out of control and then someone snaps you back.

[Guest219794]

Sorry to hear about your experience. If they gave you 3 doses of adenosine then you probably got 32mg total. Standard doses are 6mg fast IVP followed by 12mg and if they doesn't work another 12mg. All given super fast with a flush chaser to push it.

It's kind of late, and I am kind of tired, but isn't that 30 mg?

[emtpbill, ASN, RN, EMT-P]

Why yes it is. Duh, I'm an idiot !

[RescueNinjaKy]

It's kind of late, and I am kind of tired, but isn't that 30 mg?

Ha, I thought the same thing too but I couldn't quite remember my acls algorithm dosage

[NickiLaughs, ADN, BSN, RN]

If they're talking to me (responsive), I warn them and always talk them through it. The look of sheer terror I've seen before gave me that lightbulb. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[bgxyrnf, MSN, RN]

I hold their hand and watch the monitor and say, "OK, here it is, right now... it'll just be a few seconds..." and hold their hand the whole time.

I like to think that it helps give them some confidence because I can tell them exactly when it's happening and helps comfort them by having a physical connection back to the world.

As unpleasant as it sounds, it looks substantially better than getting synchronized cardioversion when you're light on sedation as I just observed for the first time. Holy "YOUCH!," Batman.