Re: Convalescing Home

Trauma Columnist · Mar 7, 2004

What kind of company is this? I would definitely suction them, put some humidified oxygen on them too - you can't let people suffer. They also need morphine, given bucally if need be. Good luck...

Rnltc · Mar 7, 2004

Hope I do not end up under that nurses care. I take my hat off to your for questioning this. What is COMFORT?

I have supervised nurses who think comfort means doing nothing. Letting a person choke on their own fluids. Making a person walk post hip with no pain medication.

I do not agree and it is my LIC. COMFORT means just what it says.

longtermcarern · Mar 7, 2004

suctioning often creates more secretions, there are medications that will dry up the secretions. At our facility we use scopalamine. Suctioning is also uncomfortable to the patient, when they are already having a difficult time and then someone is sticking something in the back of their throat suctioning what air they are getting right out again. More often then not the suctioning is done for the person standing next to the patient listening to the gurgle then it is for the patient. Our local hospice has us use 1 scopalamine patch every 3 hours up to 5 patches I have usually seen the patient stop gurgling by the 3rd patch.

mandykal, ADN, RN · Mar 7, 2004

Thank you all for responding, gee, so quickly...........

CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN · Mar 7, 2004

Yep I agree with LTCRN....suctioning does cause more secretions, so medication may be more effective...Roxinal SL for resp distress and pain, scop patches or cream or atropine can be used effectively.

Drowning in secretions isn't comfortable :angryfire

CapeCodMermaid, RN · Mar 14, 2004

Do any of all y'all think suctioning is comfortable??? Ever have it done? Far better to use Roxanol or a scop. patch. If I were on comfort measures and someone suctioned me, I'd find a way to come back and haunt them when I died!

jkaee · Mar 15, 2004

I agree with the above posts. For our residents, we use Levsin, which can be given sublingually, both as a straight order and PRN, and Roxanol. I, too, don't like to suction someone unless I have to, and the secretions are sometimes "too deep" for us to get to them anyway. Sometimes I'll do mouth suctioning with a Yankauer (sp?) if that's needed, but not deep suction. Keep the HOB elevated, reposition frequently, some O2 if it's indicated, keep medicated and speak calmly and reassuringly to the resident with everything you do. That's comfort measures.

leslie :-D · Mar 15, 2004

i too, am so against suctioning. i've had great success with levsin gtts and scop. patches. more often than not, suctioning can create more hypoxia (ever see them turn blue?) and they gasp because they're so damn air hungry, which of course escalates into more anxiety, creating more discomfort. do not, do not, do not (deep) suction.....there are too many more ways to dry secretions and are so much less invasive and traumatic. God, i hate suctioning....and it is not a comfot measure (in case i didn't get my point across).