CPAN CPAN Pain Management 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary pain assessment tool recommended for use in post-anesthesia care units (PACUs)?
- Glasgow Coma Scale
- Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) (Correct answer)
- Ramsay Sedation Scale
- Braden Scale
Correct answer: Numeric Rating Scale (NRS)
The Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) is widely used in PACUs as it allows patients to rate pain intensity from 0 to 10.
Question 2: Which medication reverses opioid-induced respiratory depression in PACU patients?
- Flumazenil
- Naloxone (Correct answer)
- Neostigmine
- Sugammadex
Correct answer: Naloxone
Naloxone (Narcan) is the opioid antagonist used to reverse opioid-induced respiratory depression in the PACU.
Question 3: What is multimodal analgesia in the post-anesthesia setting?
- Using only IV opioids for pain control
- Combining different analgesic medications targeting different pain pathways (Correct answer)
- Administering the maximum dose of a single analgesic
- Using only non-pharmacologic methods
Correct answer: Combining different analgesic medications targeting different pain pathways
Multimodal analgesia combines different analgesic classes targeting different pain mechanisms to improve pain control while reducing opioid requirements.
Question 4: Which non-pharmacologic intervention is appropriate for mild to moderate pain in the PACU?
- Epidural analgesia
- Patient positioning and cold therapy (Correct answer)
- Intravenous fentanyl
- Ketamine infusion
Correct answer: Patient positioning and cold therapy
Non-pharmacologic interventions such as proper positioning and cold or heat therapy can complement pharmacologic pain management in the PACU.
Question 5: What is the most serious adverse effect to monitor when administering opioids in the PACU?
- Nausea and vomiting
- Respiratory depression (Correct answer)
- Urinary retention
- Constipation
Correct answer: Respiratory depression
Respiratory depression is the most serious and potentially life-threatening side effect of opioid administration in the PACU.
Question 6: A PACU patient reports a pain score of 8/10 after receiving opioids. What should the nurse assess first?
- Administer additional opioids immediately
- Respiratory rate and oxygen saturation (Correct answer)
- Ask the patient to wait 30 minutes
- Apply ice packs to the surgical site
Correct answer: Respiratory rate and oxygen saturation
Before administering additional analgesics, the PACU nurse must first assess respiratory status to ensure it is safe to give more opioids.
CPAN CPAN Pain Management 1
What is the primary pain assessment tool recommended for use in post-anesthesia care units (PACUs)?