Question

Paramedics transported a 50-year-old female patient from a house fire to the Emergency Department without any obvious burns. She is covered in soot, coughing, and reporting nausea and anxiety. The emergency department provider plans to treat the patient for possible cyanide poisoning. In addition to oxygen, what medication should the nurse anticipate administering?

Answer 1

In cases of suspected cyanide poisoning in the Emergency Department, such as a patient presenting with sootiness, coughing, and nausea from a house fire, nurses should prepare to administer antidotes from the cyanide antidote kit, which includes amyl nitrite, sodium nitrite, sodium thiosulfate, and possibly hydroxocobalamin or Sulfanegen TEA.

Step-by-step explanation:

Treatment for Cyanide Poisoning

A 50-year-old female patient transported by paramedics from a house fire to the Emergency Department without apparent burns but displaying symptoms such as coughing, soot coverage, nausea, and anxiety could be suffering from cyanide poisoning. The treatment the nurse should anticipate administering, in addition to oxygen therapy, includes medications from the cyanide antidote kit. These medications typically commence with an inhaled dose of amyl nitrite, followed by intravenous administration of sodium nitrite and then sodium thiosulfate. Newly approved in the US is hydroxocobalamin, which is available in Cyanokit antidote kits. Sulfanegen TEA, an alternative treatment that can be given intramuscularly, is also used to detoxify cyanide and convert it into thiocyanate, a less harmful substance.