HTHSCI 2H03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Intensive Care Unit, Medical Error, Naloxone
3 Nov 2018
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A patient who was receiving a methadone maintenance dose of 85 mg daily by mouth was admitted to hospital after giving birth to her child at home. Just hours after the birth, the patient received her first hospital dose of methadone. Soon after, the patient"s husband noted that she was becoming increasingly delirious and agitated. As the patient became progressively sedated, the hospital staff intervened with the administration of intravenous (iv) naloxone. Despite several doses of naloxone, the patient"s respiratory rate continued to drop. This resulted in admission to the intensive care unit (icu), initiation of an iv naloxone infusion, multiple other interventions, and an extended hospital stay. As a result of the overdose, the patient missed valuable bonding time with her infant and was advised not to breastfeed. Her breast milk was pumped and discarded to prevent harm to the infant, given the potential presence of high concentrations of methadone in the milk.
