Tag: benzodiazepines

3 Recommendations to Implement to Improve Patient Safety During Sedation

The Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety wishes you a safe and Happy New Year!

To help make 2019 patient safe, please implement the following 3 recommendations to keep your patients safe:

Patients Receiving Opioids Must Be Monitored With Continuous Electronic Monitoring

Much of the public attention has been focused on the harm caused by prescription use and abuse of opioids. However, there is another facet that must be focused on: opioid-induced respiratory depression in clinical settings. This includes patients undergoing moderate and conscious sedation, or recovering from procedures and managing pain using a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump, particularly those during the postoperative period.

Continue reading “3 Recommendations to Implement to Improve Patient Safety During Sedation” →

Benzodiazepines and Opioid Use May Result in Respiratory Compromise and Death

Using benzodiazepines and opioids may be a deadly combination. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, more than 30% of opioid overdoses involve the use of benzodiazepines.

One of the commonly overlooked complications to safe opioid administration is failing to account for the additive sedation effects of non-opioid medication. In recognition of these dangers, in August 2016, the FDA issued its strongest warning about combined use of opioids and benzodiazepines and issued another caution more recently on September 20, 2017.

Continue reading “Benzodiazepines and Opioid Use May Result in Respiratory Compromise and Death” →

Opioids and Preventing “Dead-In-Bed”

Articles we have been reading this past week of May 7, 2018 focus on opioids and preventing “dead-in-bed.”

How Often Does “Dead-In-Bed” Happen in Hospitals?

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Opioids and Benzodiazepines Make a Deadly Combination for Hospitalized Patients

The combination of opioids and benzodiazepines can be a deadly combination. According to Baltimore’s City Health Commissioner Leana Wen, of the 44 people who die each day in the United States, approximately one in three of these unintentional overdose deaths from opioids also involves benzodiazepines.

As a result, the FDA recently issued its strongest warning about combined use of opioids and benzodiazepines, saying: Continue reading “Opioids and Benzodiazepines Make a Deadly Combination for Hospitalized Patients” →