Question

a patient with an oxycodone overdose has a respiratory rate of 8 and is difficult to arouse. which prescribed treatment should the nurse anticipate administering? select one: a. epinephrine b. an opioid antagonist c. an opioid agonist d. activated charcoal

Answer 1

In an oxycodone overdose with a low respiratory rate, the nurse should anticipate administering naloxone (Narcan), an opioid antagonist, which rapidly reverses the respiratory depression caused by the opioid.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the case of a patient with an oxycodone overdose who has a low respiratory rate and is difficult to arouse, the nurse should anticipate administering an opioid antagonist. This situation requires immediate intervention to reverse the effects of the opioids to prevent fatal respiratory depression. The most commonly used opioid antagonist for overdoses is naloxone (Narcan), which is known to rapidly reverse the effects of opioids, restoring breathing and consciousness. Naloxone works by competitively binding to the opioid receptors in the brain, displacing the opioid molecules, and thereby reversing or mitigating the opioid's effects, especially the life-threatening respiratory depression.