An adolescent is brought to the emergency department (ED) after accidentally taking an overdose of heroin. The adolescent is sem
iconscious, unable to respond appropriately to questions, slurs words, and has constricted pupils; the client’s vital signs are blood pressure 60/50 mm Hg, pulse 50 beats/min, and respirations 8 breaths/min. Naloxone is administered to temporarily reverse the effects of the heroin. Which finding would first indicate that the naloxone administration has been effective?
The best answer to the question: Which finding would first indicate that naloxone administration has been effective? Would be: An increase in respiratory rate from 8 to 12 rpm.
Explanation:
Narcotic drugs, especially heroine in large amounts (overdose) have the opposite effect to what they are usually meant for, which is excitatory. In overdoses heroine and other narcotid drugs will cause a CNS depression and therefore most body functions will be severely affected, as it is seen from the blood pressure and heart rate of this patient, as well as his/her respiratory rate. But most worrying of all is that heroine, as a depressant, can lead a patient to comatose states, and even total respiratory failure. Naloxone, the medication designed to revert the effects of several narcotic drugs, such as heroine, will first be seen in action with the increase in respiratory rate, as the depressive effects start to decrease. Other functions such as heart rate, blood pressure and levels of conciousness will start picking back up as the body gets rid of the substance. But Naloxone will first revert the depression on the respiratory centers in the brain.
