Crash cart items

[ark-two]

Hello, my fellow nurses have volunteered me to try to change some things in our crash cart. We have Rapid response team, which has been great, but we are finding some things missing for code blue situations. We are trying to get versed and Diprovan loaded in our Pyxis for intubation. I've read some info about Diprovan and have had our anesthesia use it if they need to intubate in emergency situations. What I like about it is that it does not raise ICP in patients. We would also like to have versed in our respiratory box, we're trying to figure out how to do this. As you know, a pyxis is not always available where you code someone. We do not have combitubes either. The doc must intubate with an ET tube, but there are some patients the doc cannot intubate and anesthesia must be called. I feel it would be more beneficial to the patient if we used a combitube for emergency situations until anesthesia arrived, a combitube would only be temporary so breaths could be administered. Also, we have had some anaphylatic reactions. Inhale epi would be great. Any suggestions? What do you stock your crash carts with other than the regular code meds and iv fluids? Thanks in advance- Jessica

[andrew39]

Maybe this will help?

http://www.outpatientsurgery.net/forms/2004/pdf/OutpatientSurgeryMagazine_0410_crashCart.pdf

[TennRN2004]

We have a code box we take to floor codes. It is a small sized box so you can run without it getting in the way. It has those handy drugs that aren't available on the crash cart. The ICU RNs are responsible for the med box. I don't know about your floors, but on ours the pyxis is so far away, it wouldn't matter if it could be loaded in or not, it wouldn't be easily accesible or convienent on the floor codes. We also have a difficult intubation box that RT is responsible for running with when they respond to a code. It has different type blades not on the crash cart the MD may want, some of them are only found in the anesthesia department and the difficult intubation box, so pretty much anything you would want is in the box.