Sweet-ease

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Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.

In another thread, lots of people mentioned using sweet-ease to calm crying babies. I'm a bit surprised by this, due to the endogenous opioid release mechanism. It was being horribly mis-used on my unit. People were using 5 and 10 ml syringes full of it to quiet babies (frequent doses), when the dose for kids under 2-3 kilos is just 0.1-0.2ml. Also was used frequently with hungry, yelling gastro babies, when it is expressly contraindicated in kids with gastro issues (like gastroschisis crybabies). It requires an MD order, but nurses worked around that often.

What are the guidelines for sucrose in your units?

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We can only use it to treat/prevent pain as ordered by an MD. There was also some concern with overuse/misuse contributing to oral yeast infections.

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PACU.

We have get ours out of the Pyxis and sign it off.

It is an absolute no no for gut kids!!!

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Specializes in NICU.

Same as NicuGal, we have to get it out of the Pyxis, scan it and sign off with another RN. We use it mainly for lab draws.

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Specializes in Nurse Scientist-Research.

Guess we're one of the "bad" units. We don't use 10 ml syringes though. Most commonly using 1ml syringes & giving 1-2 drops each time. Does it get given to gut kids? Probably; but tiny drops and not if they are NPO. It's tolerated; as in by the infants & by the neos.

We did have it forbidden on a child who was found to have some rare carbohydrate metabolism dysfunction. That was one miserable kid.

It's not on MARs, not in the PYXIS, just in the storeroom. Having said that, I don't think it's used excessively.

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Specializes in NICU.

We need an order for it, although it does not need to be ckecked off with another RN. Never gut kids or NPO kids. We most commonly use it for eye exams and LP's (painful procedures), and one in a while for IV starts.

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Specializes in NICU.

We must be a "bad" unit. We get it out of the stock room. It comes in 1ml squeezable vials. We don't give the whole thing though. A couple drops at a time. We NEVER give it to our NEC babies. Any issues with the gut and it says "No Sweat-ease" on their chart.

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Specializes in NICU.

We have the 1 ml individual droppers and actually have it as a standard PRN order on admit paperwork for all babies greater than 32 weeks.

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