1 2 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • A P R I L 2 0 1 8
Ideas Work
P r a c t i c a l p e a r l s f r o m y o u r c o l l e a g u e s
That
Y
ou're not alone if you're having a hard time getting fentanyl.
An acute nationwide shortage has sent many facilities scram-
bling for alternative ways to control surgical pain. Here are
some steps you can take to survive the shortage.
1. Ration your fentanyl supply. Use injectable opioids to treat pain,
not to sedate patients. One surgery center uses Dilaudid for adults in
PACU and reserves fentanyl for pediatric patients. In inhalational
cases, some anesthesia providers give morphine at the end of the case
for pain control.
2. Load up on different vial sizes. One anesthesia coordinator
bought fentanyl 5 mcg and 250 mcg when the 100 mcg was not avail-
able. "I know it's more to waste, but it's our only option."
3. Online search strategies. Try searching "ampules" instead of
5 Ways to Survive the Fentanyl Shortage
• SHORT SUPPLY Many
surgical facilities are deal-
ing with an acute shortage
of fentanyl.
Track Drug
Shortages
Visit the
American
Society of
Health-System
Pharmacists
(ashp.org) to
see which drugs
are in short
supply, time-
lines for deliv-
ery of the drugs
and alternatives
you can use in
place of the
shortage drugs.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR