Question

What is the immediate intervention if a patient on oxycodone 10 mg/mL infusion therapy experiences respiratory depression?

1. Administering acetylcysteine
2. Reducing the dose of oxycodone to 5 mg/mL
3. Decreasing the rate of infusion
4. Administering 0.4 mg of naloxone

Answer 1

If a patient on oxycodone infusion therapy experiences respiratory depression, the immediate intervention is to administer 0.4 mg of naloxone, an opiate antagonist that reverses the effects of opioids.

Step-by-step explanation:

The immediate intervention if a patient on oxycodone 10 mg/mL infusion therapy experiences respiratory depression is administering 0.4 mg of naloxone. Naloxone is an opiate antagonist that rapidly reverses the effects of opioids, including the respiratory depression that can be a life-threatening side effect of opioid overdose. It works by competing with opioids like oxycodone for the same receptors in the brain, but without activating them, thus reversing the respiratory depression caused by the opioids. Naloxone is a critical intervention in cases of opioid overdose and is considered the standard of care for such emergencies.