Fentanyl Epidurals

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Bridget Gegorski
Bridget Gegorski's picture
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Joined: 09/19/2014 - 14:47
Fentanyl Epidurals

 I am interested in information regarding the preparation and formulation of fentanyl epidurals.  Currently we are batching our epidurals in the IV room and providing them to our anesthesiologists in a locked refrigerator on the L&D floor.  The formula we use has been in practice for an undetermined amount of time, I do not know that it has ever been evaluated for best practice since I’ve been at the institution.  The bags contain fentanyl, bupivacaine, and epinephrine.  We want to make the compounding of this bag simpler, and thereby safer, by removing the epinephrine.  Do you have any resources or publications available that could help us determine the right course of action in this case?  We are specifically looking for recommendations regarding concentration, volume, and the addition/subtraction of epinephrine.