Current patterns of prescribing and administering morphine in trauma patients. Pharmacotherapy 1995;15(2):210-5
Date
03/01/1995Pubmed ID
7624268Scopus ID
2-s2.0-0028952616 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 13 CitationsAbstract
We attempted to characterize the current prescribing practices and administration patterns for intravenous intermittent morphine in trauma patients in a multicenter, open prospective, observational study. The subjects were 141 patients admitted to the surgical intensive care units (ICU) of five United States trauma centers within 12 hours of injury who received intermittent intravenous morphine for pain relief. The study was conducted from April 15, 1992, to February 15, 1993. Data obtained during the first 32 hours of the ICU stay included morphine regimen, doses administered, and time between doses. One hundred sixty-one orders were prescribed by surgeons. The most frequently ordered dose was 2-4 mg and the most frequently ordered interval was every hour as necessary. There was no relationship between the severity of injury and the minimum dose ordered. During the 492 nursing shifts studied, 1257 doses were administered. Of these, 44% were at or below the minimum amount prescribed by the surgeons. Thirty-three percent of the patients received a dose at an interval of more than 3 hours. We concluded that small amounts of narcotic analgesics are given to severely injured patients, and amount ordered is not affected by the severity of injury.
Author List
Whipple JK, Lewis KS, Quebbeman EJ, Esser MJ, Gottlieb MS, McKindley DS, Hess M, Boucher BA, Jancik JT, Wesley LCMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdolescentAdult
Aged
Drug Administration Schedule
Drug Utilization
Female
General Surgery
Humans
Intensive Care Units
Male
Middle Aged
Morphine
Pain
Prospective Studies
Trauma Centers
Trauma Severity Indices
United States
Wounds and Injuries
