Med Surg medications

CIWA Precautions

Alcohol Withdrawal Scale

The higher the score, the more severe the withdrawal and the more likely the patient needs medication (if ordered by protocol).

Med room #

53923

What time is 1800?

6;00 pm

What time is 1730?

5:30

Blue tube top

PTT

Pink tube top

Type and screen

Braden Scale

Lower score = Higher risk for pressure injuries.

Large bruising or bleeding under the skin is called?

ecchymosis

Patients may require blood transfusions for hemoglobin of?

7.0—72

Explain Type and Screen

• Done before a blood transfusion.

• Type = Finds the patient's blood type (A, B, AB, O and Rh +/-).

• Screen = Checks for antibodies that could react with donor blood.

Supplies needed for blood draw

• Gloves

• Tourniquet

• Alcohol pad

• Butterfly needle

• Vacutainer holder

• Blood tubes

• Gauze

• Biohazard Bag

• Bandage

• Printed labels

Medication room #

53923

Lock blue medication bin

0400

Supply and Staff room #

3923

Latanoprost (Xalatan)

• Used for: Glaucoma (lowers eye pressure).

• Route: Eye drops.

• Remember: Give 1 drop as ordered. Do not touch the tip of the bottle to the eye

Magnesium Sulfate 2g IV

• Used for: Low magnesium (hypomagnesemia).

• Route: IV.

• Remember: Watch OUT FOR: Slow breathing, low blood pressure, and flushing (feeling warm).

Sucralfate (Carafate)

Back:

• Used for: Treats stomach ulcers and protects the stomach lining.

• Route: PO.

• Remember: Give on an empty stomach (before meals to COAT the ulcer)

Carboxymethylcellulose (Artificial Tears

• Used for: Dry eyes.

• Route: Eye drops.

• Remember: Lubricates and moisturizes the eyes.

Piperacillin/Tazobactam (Zosyn) PIE – per – uh – SILL – in

• Used for: Treats bacterial infections.

• Route: IV.

• Remember: Check for penicillin allergy before giving.

Quetiapine (Seroquel) Kwe-TYE-uh-peen

• Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and agitation.

• Route: PO.

• Remember: Can cause drowsiness → use fall precautions.

Enoxaparin (Lovenox)

• Type: Low molecular weight heparin

• Used for: Prevents/treats blood clots.

• Route: Subcutaneous injection.

• Watch for: Bleeding.

Type and Screen tube color top?

Pink top (anticoagulant on bottom to prevent blood clotting)

Iohexol (Omnipaque)

• Used for: Contrast dye for CT scans and imaging.

• Route: IV (commonly).

• Remember: Check for contrast/iodine allergy and monitor for reaction.

UGIB

upper gi bleed

AMS

altered mental status

Helps make red blood cells;

folic acid

What labs to check for a patient with red blood cell deficiency

cbc (hgb, hct)

high MCV lab meaning

red blood cells are larger than normal, needs folic acid

Hematocrit

Male: ~41–50%

Female: ~36–44%

• What it tells you: The percentage of blood made up of red blood cells (RBCs).

• Low Hct: Can mean anemia or blood loss.

• High Hct: Can mean too many RBCs or dehydration

High Hct

too many RBCs or dehydration

Reasons for High hematocrit

Low oxygen = body says "make more RBCs( smoking, high altitudes

Cauda Equina Syndrome

Back:

• What it is: Compression of the nerves at the bottom of the spinal cord

• Watch for:

  • Loss of bowel or bladder control

  • Numbness in the saddle area (inner thighs/groin)

  • Leg weakness or numbness

Pain medications → for severe back/leg pain.

Alprazolam (Xanax) Al-PRAY-zoh-lam

• Used for: Anxiety and panic disorders.

• Class: Benzodiazepine.

• Remember: Can cause drowsiness/sedation → fall risk.

Duloxetine (Cymbalta)

• Used for: Depression, anxiety, and nerve pain.

• Class: SNRI antidepressant.

• Remember: Monitor for mood changes and possible dizziness.

Pantoprazole (Protonix)

Back:

• Used for: Reduces stomach acid (GERD, ulcers, GI protection).

• Class: Proton pump inhibitor (PPI).

• Remember: Usually given before meals.

What time is 1500?

3:00 pm

What time is 1300

1:00 pm

What time 1600?

4:00 pm

What time is 1400?

2:00 pm

What time is 1900

7:00 pm

What is Tamsulosin (Flomax)

Used for patients with enlarged prostate to relax the prostate

An enlarged prostate squeezes the urethra, making it hard for urine to get out.

Diazapam (Valium)

• Used for: Anxiety, alcohol withdrawal, muscle spasms, and seizures.

• Class: Benzodiazepine.

• Remember: Can cause drowsiness and respiratory depression → monitor breathing and use fall precautions.

Vancomycin

• Used for: Serious bacterial infections (especially MRSA).

• Route: Usually IV.

• Remember: Monitor vancomycin levels and kidney function. Infuse slowly to help prevent Red Man Syndrome (flushing/redness).

• Used for: C. difficile (C. diff) infection in the intestines.

• Route: PO.

• Remember: It stays in the gut to kill the bacteria there. It is not absorbed well into the bloodstream, so it's not used by mouth to treat infections elsewhere in the body.

Oral Vancomycin

Ceftriaxone (Rocephin) sef-try-AK-sone

• Used for: Treats bacterial infections.

• Route: IV or IM.

• Remember: Check for cephalosporin/penicillin allergy before giving.

Thiamine (Vitamin B1)

• Used for: Prevents/treats thiamine deficiency, especially in patients with alcohol use disorder.

• Route: PO or IV.

• Remember: Commonly given to patients with alcohol withdrawal to help prevent Wernicke's encephalopathy.

Wernicke's Encephalopathy

alcohol related Confusion, trouble walking (unsteady gait), and eye movement problems.

• An IV catheter left in the vein without continuous IV fluids.

• Flushed with normal saline to keep it open.

• Used when the patient only needs intermittent IV medications or blood draws.

Medlock (Saline Lock)

What it is: Low platelet count called (blood not clotting)

Thrombocytopenia

Pancytopenia

Everything is low. (RBC, WBC, PLATELETS)

• 🩸 Anemia

• 🦠 Infection risk

• 🩹 Bleeding risk

• Anemia/ Cancers

Vitamin K (Phytonadione)

Clotting vitamin

• Helps make clotting factors to stop bleeding

How to print REPORT?

My patient

Print

Hand off

HS

At bedtime

HS = Hit the Sheets 🛏

Before meals

AC

Patient is on medication and you see that the patients vitals are declining

Recognize → Stop the infusion → Get help quickly-RRT or CODE

Code blue/RRT #

35110

Braden Scale Range

• Highest score: 23

• Lowest score: 6

Chlordiazepoxide (Librium)

• Used for: Alcohol withdrawal TREMORS and anxiety.

• Class: Benzodiazepine.

• Remember: Can cause drowsiness and respiratory depression → monitor breathing and use fall precautions.