Journal of perianesthesia nursing : official journal of the American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses
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J. Perianesth. Nurs. · Feb 2004
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialAromatherapy with peppermint, isopropyl alcohol, or placebo is equally effective in relieving postoperative nausea.
To determine whether aromatherapy can reduce postoperative nausea, the investigators studied 33 ambulatory surgery patients who complained of nausea in the PACU. After indicating the severity of nausea on a 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS), subjects received randomized aromatherapy with isopropyl alcohol, oil of peppermint, or saline (placebo). The vapors were inhaled deeply through the nose from scented gauze pads held directly beneath the patients' nostrils and exhaled slowly through the mouth. ⋯ Overall satisfaction with postoperative nausea management was 86.9 +/- 4.1 mm and was independent of the treatment group. Aromatherapy effectively reduced the perceived severity of postoperative nausea. The fact that a saline "placebo" was as effective as alcohol or peppermint suggests that the beneficial effect may be related more to controlled breathing patterns than to the actual aroma inhaled.
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J. Perianesth. Nurs. · Feb 2004
ReviewMedication errors in the PACU: a secondary analysis of MEDMARX findings.
Medication errors commonly occur in many health care settings. This review of medication errors illustrates that complex, fast-paced care delivered in PACUs often occurs in an environment where patients encounter numerous processes as they move from preadmission, to preop holding, to the operating room, to PACU, and then back to a clinical unit or discharge. Using a nationally recognized framework, 645 PACU medication error records were analyzed. ⋯ Three quarters of the errors were influenced by distractions. More than 130 different products were present in the sample of cases reviewed. Problem areas identified involved epidural analgesia, patient-controlled analgesia, and duplicate doses.