Pediatric Resident: Is there ever a use for narcan as a reversal agent?
Narcan can be used when someone is determined to be over-sedated at a time when this is not one of the goals of care. It should not be given in the manner in which most health-care workers are trained (i.e. push it in to get a deliberate fast reversal) but rather as a slow incremental infusion to balance the sedation with pain control to get the achieved goal of comfort. Hospice Nurse: I dont want to be the one that gives the last dose! No one wants to feel responsible for the death of another on any level. However, the intent is what is important and if your intent is to provide comfort knowing that one of the side effects may be respiratory depression than that is an ethically sound decision and it is called the implied intent.
