Please help interpret this order

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Can someone help interpret this....... what is NTG and sl stand for?

  • NTG 1/150 sl prn chest pain

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Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.

Nitroglycerin, sublingual.

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Ditto. Usually prescribed q 5 minutes for total of 3 doses, then call doctor if no relief.

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Specializes in cardiac.
Nitroglycerin, sublingual.
DITTO:smokin:
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Specializes in Nursing Home ,Dementia Care,Neurology..

I'm more used to seeing that written as GTN sl.

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Specializes in OB.

According to Joint Commission, drug names should NEVER be abbreviated. Check out their website and the "do not use" list. Your facility should also have a policy on this.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
According to Joint Commission, drug names should NEVER be abbreviated. Check out their website and the "do not use" list. Your facility should also have a policy on this.

Yeah, well, according to Hypocaffeinemia, drug abbreviations are perfectly fine when common sense dictates.

What can "NTG SL for CHEST PAIN" possibly be misinterpreted as other than "NITROGLYCERIN"?

In fact, considering how many nitrate drugs have 'nitro' in the name, I would even argue that writing out "nitroglycerin" may lead to an increase in errors due to misinterpretation.

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The order reads Nitroglycerin 1/150 (which is the same as 0.4 mg) as needed for chest pain.

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Yeah, well, according to Hypocaffeinemia, drug abbreviations are perfectly fine when common sense dictates.

What can "NTG SL for CHEST PAIN" possibly be misinterpreted as other than "NITROGLYCERIN"?

In fact, considering how many nitrate drugs have 'nitro' in the name, I would even argue that writing out "nitroglycerin" may lead to an increase in errors due to misinterpretation.

Drug names should generally not be abbreviated. While when printed out it looks unambiguous, when written in cursive Couamdin has been mistaken for Avandia; risperidone has been mistaken for isradipine & Amaryl has been confused w/ Reminyl (resulting in its name change in the US to Razadyne, now leading to its being confused w/ Rozerem). Often by pharmacists or nurses themselves.

Further in many countries nitroglycerin (drug) is called Glyceryl trinitrate & abbreviated GTN.

And confusions don't always occcur just with the abbreviation; NTG 1/150 may be mistaken as some other drug given 150 mg, & one may not pay attention to the chest pain part. And misinterpretations also occur in entering abbreviated names in the computer. Who knows, a computer may think it is nateglinide:icon_roll!

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Specializes in Med Surge, Tele, Oncology, Wound Care.

I cant read it, because it is not written correctly anyhow. MD's should not get so nasty when we call them constantly, because I find it is mostly to clarify their orders!

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

sorry i gotta say it....if you don't understand that order, you don't need to be giving meds.

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Specializes in Med Surge, Tele, Oncology, Wound Care.
sorry i gotta say it....if you don't understand that order, you don't need to be giving meds.

sorry to say it back, if you do go by that order you dont need to be giving meds.

as we are all intelligent beings, all of us can agree that nitroglycerine has a specific frequency. however it is clear in this case the md used abbreviations, and did not give a dosage frequency, therefore this is an order that should not even be looked at for a second time.

if you have to ask a question about an order then you are a nurse whom is practicing correctly and providing safety for a patient.

i think jcaho would agree with me. i think the op was trying to make a point.

as for you to say that either myself or the op should not be giving medications, i seriously question your ability to administer medications.

thanks :yeah:

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