Administering Fentanyl

Transdermal patch. Med surg floors cannot give it IV at my hospital

Cool, thanks. Do you happen to know if you guys can give it orally/transmucosal? Ex. sublingual, nasal, buccal?

Thanks!

Have you checked the PDR?

Personally, I've never seen it ordered or have ever given it via those routes

I have worked on a busy surgical floor and have mostly administered it IV. It is mostly used for breakthrough surgical pain. I have also seen it used in a PCA. Now that I work on a med/tele floor where I dont give pain meds that often for acute pain i see it occasionally in a transdermal patch for chronic pain.

I have never give fentanyl any other route than transdermal on my med surg/onc floor. It is usually for chronic pain, not acute pain, in my experience.

Thanks! I was reading into it and the transdermal is commonly used for chronic pain. I'm just a little confused on the population of the med/surg floor.

I've mostly seen it in a transdermal patch in LTC. I've also seen it used once on a medical floor IV once but we tend to use dilaudid or morphine IV.

IV in a PCA, subcut, transdermal

In the ICU it is very common in IV infusion form as an analgesic along side a sedation med. We also use it as a push for agitation/pain control over benzos/sedatives. Very short acting but potent. Sometimes we also use it on post-op patients but Dilaudid is the usual go to drug then we go to PO forms like Hydro/Oxy.

For med surg I think transdermal patches would be the most common route.

I work L&D. I give fentanyl IV often.