Isopropyl Alcohol for Nausea (Protocol Info Needed)

Nurses General Nursing

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I'm working on changing our protocols in the organization I work with to start using isopropyl alcohol to help with transient nausea.

I have found plenty of citations for it's use as well as researched safety concerns.

A roadblock I've run into is my organization wants to know what specific protocols other organizations (hospitals, etc) are doing. Sadly while I have found paramedic and other pre-hospital protocols in writing, I have not found any nursing ones. I've found plenty of places that use this therapy, but none that have it as an actual protocol, where it's defined in any way.

So, I'm reaching out, does anybody work at a hospital or other organization that has a protocol for this treatment and is willing to share it with me? Specifically I'd need the verbiage of the relevant part of the protocol as well as the organization name and unit.

You don't need to give your real name, unless you prefer to, I just need something I can show them as a model.

I really appreciate any help, we are a very low-resource organization who does a lot of work with kids and anything that can help them with nausea would be great, but getting this passed has proven difficult.

Thanks again, have a good day!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

Lol, we just do it. I seriously have never thought about needing a protocol to open an alcohol wipe and wave it under someone's nose. Good luck, though, I hope someone can help you out.

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I agree, but unfortunately people view it as a medication administration, which is something I disagree with but at the same time understand the logic, and medication administration (unless directly ordered by a doctor) needs a standing order/protocol of some kind.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
I agree, but unfortunately people view it as a medication administration, which is something I disagree with but at the same time understand the logic, and medication administration (unless directly ordered by a doctor) needs a standing order/protocol of some kind.

Using IPA wipes for post-operative nausea are actually FDA classified as aromatherapy, so no MD order is required, aromatherapy can be nurse initiated.

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Specializes in Oncology.

I've never heard of such a thing. Is it useful for other types of nausea, or just post op? You just have them smell an alcohol wipe til the feeling passes?

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.
I've never heard of such a thing. Is it useful for other types of nausea, or just post op? You just have them smell an alcohol wipe til the feeling passes?

Yes, we just tear open a wipe & wave it under the the patient's nose. In my experience, it always works better if the patient's eyes are closed, which they usually are in PACU. A&O folks tend to balk at taking a whiff.

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.
I've never heard of such a thing. Is it useful for other types of nausea, or just post op?

It works for nausea during labor/childbirth as well. I've used it often for that purpose.

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Do you know of a cite or anything for aromatherapies being nurse initiated, or how they are listed by the FDA? I tried searching on the FDA but with no luck. Thanks!

Such a thing would be a huge help.

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Specializes in Pediatric Critical Care.

So silly that something like that wouldnt be able to just be a nursing intervention.

Sorry OP, I have no help for you. Like someone else said, we just do it....we dont make it official.

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One day I was getting a patient back from PACU after a lithotripsy and when the nurse brought the patient up, she used an alcohol wipe under the nose. It was the first time I had seen it done. It seemed to really help that patient. I don't see why you would need a doctor's order for that.

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Specializes in Infusion Nursing, Home Health Infusion.

Isopropyl alcohol helps nausea and vomiting? | Modern medicine

https://www.aana.com/newsandjournal/Documents/cotton_p21-26.pdf

AND from the other side: Inhalation of vapors irritates the respiratory tract. Exposure to high concentrations has a narcotic effect, producing symptoms of dizziness, drowsiness, headache, staggering, unconsciousness and possibly death.

from the MSDS:

Health Hazards Acute and Chronic:INHALATION OF VAPORS MAY CAUSE CNS EFFECTS, RESPIRATORY TRACT IRRITATION, PULMONARY EDEMA. LIQUID MAY BE IRRITATING TO SKIN AND EYES. PROLONGED SKIN CONTACT MAY RESULT IN DERMATITIS. EYE CONTACT MAY R ESULT IN TEMPORARY CORNEAL DAMAGE. INGESTION MAY CAUSE NAUSEA, VOMITING, CNS EFFECTS, GI TRACT IRRITATION. Explanation of Carcinogenicity:THIS COMPOUND CONTAINS NO INGREDIENTS AT CONCENTRATIONS OF 0.1% OR GREATER THAT ARE CARCINOGENS OR SUSPECT CARCINOGENS. Effects of Overexposure:HEADACHE, NAUSEA, VOMITING, DIZZINESS, DROWSINESS, IRRITATION OF RESPIRATORY TRACT, LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS, PULMONARY EDEMA, SKIN IRRITATION, EYE IRRITATION, DERMATITIS, TEMPORARY CORNEAL DAMAGE, NAUSE A, VOMITING, HEADACHES, DIZZINESS, GASTROINTESTINAL IRRITATION, CNS DEPRESSION. Medical Cond Aggravated by Exposure:PRE-EXISTING DISORDERS OF THE SKIN, EYES AND RESPIRATORY TRACT MAY BE EXACERBATED BY EXPOSURE TO ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL.

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