Monday, June 10, 2013

Nurse Practitioner On My Side

I found this gratifying post here;Why are colonoscopy doctors so anxious to insist on sedation (read: date-rape drugs, commonly Versed?)
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Here's what the NP wrote;

"Thanks to everyone for their answers; I'm a clinical practitioner (NP) and know little about conscious sedation/colonoscopies, but so many of my patients report a terrible experience with conscious sedation (mainly Versed-not being asleep but imobile and in pain unable to communicate; then long-term amnesia afterwards...can't remember PIN numbers, their kid's birthdays etc)..this isn't for the patients benefit. I guess it works for most patients who have amnesia due to Versed, but for many it's a horrible experience. One of our docs won't use conscious sedation (versed or versed/fentanyl) because of the many patient complaints....she told me to check askapatient.com for versed horror stories. Normally as a nurse, I view patient comments with some skepticism, but why would over a thousand patients list a terrible experience with conscious sedation, especially with Versed? One of our anesthesiologists said that conscious sedation if ok for most patients, but that he would not consent to it for a colonoscopy. He said that moderate to deep sedation with propofol administered by an anesthesiologist (not a nurse/crna-ouch!) is the only way that he would get the exam. He said that Versed is administered to force patient compliance and to hopefully cause them to forget the pain and the procedure..at least until they get home. This seems to be patient abuse. I guess that I will skip my colonoscopy despite being very high-risk; and I will not recommend this exam to patients unless they can get an actual anesthesiologist to attend them."
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I especially like the remarks of an anesthesiologist as reported here.  He says that sedation is ok for most patients, but HE would not consent to it.  We see how they view themselves as opposed to the rest of us.  If HE won't allow it to be used on himself, where does he get off saying it's ok for us?  HE won't have a nurse/crna, but I'd bet money that these nurses are fine for all the rest of us.  HE says that Versed is administered to FORCE PATIENT COMPLIANCE and HOPEFULLY cause them to forget the pain...  Does this sound like the safe relaxing drug the medical field would have you believe?  At least this NP "gets it." 

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