Administering Fentanyl

[johndough]

I would put this on the student section but experience nurses may have an answer for me.

So, we were asked to create a med sheet for the drugs we might encounter for our Med/Surg rotation. I was assigned "fentanyl."

While researching this, I found that it was given through many and multiple routes, but I was just wondering what is the most common route used on the Med/Surg floor?

I was leaning towards transdermal but I'm not really sure.

Thoughts?

[Katie71275]

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

[Tenebrae, BSN, RN]

In long term care I've seen it primarily in the transdermal patch.

In med/surgical primarily PCA/IV

[emmy27]

Med/surg, I only ever gave it transdermal. In the ED, we give it IV quite often and rarely transdermal (only if we happen to have a boarded admit patient with chronic pain issues who already wears a patch at home).

I most often see it ordered IV for patients with severe acute injuries, especially fractures.

[flyersfan88]

I see it a lot with bupivicaine in a PCEA, or as a patch. It is given IV in the PACU/ED frequently, and PCA in the unit.

[dirtyhippiegirl, BSN, RN]

Gave boatloads of it to my burn patients, including floor patients. For floor patients, usually 25 mcg to 50 mcg q1-2 hrs for breakthough pain.

[FloatRN19]

I'm fairly certain I've given iv pushes on a ortho/neuro/trauma floor which at my hospital is essentially med/surg(both kind of take each other's patients if one gets a ton of admits.

[Studentnurse365]

Icu: continuous iv infusion alongside sedation. Often will add a transdermal patch when titrating off the continuous infusion. Sometimes they have both.

[TiggerBelly]

In the ED we give it frequently IV.

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses

[Angelicamarie]

Most often I see it in a PCA and second most often is a transdermal patch. I work in Oncology/med-surg

[akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P]

I've seen fentanyl given iv, po (via lollipop), and transdermal. It's very effective. I've yet to give it myself but it's not really scary unless you give it too quickly.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

We use fentanyl PCA's like crazy. Eventually we'll wean them to a patch with IV push break through. We use Actiq lollipops for sedation for bone marrow biopsies.

[Jensmom7, BSN, RN]

Fentanyl patch in Hospice. Only problem is you have to have some meat on you for it to properly absorb, and Hospice patients tend to lose weight quickly.