Sheldon S. Sones, RPh, FASCP, is president of Sheldon S. Sones and Associates, a pharmacy and accreditation consulting firm based in Newington, Conn.
Q: Should we have Valium (diazepam) on the code cart and if so, what are the key guidelines?
Sheldon Sones: While most of my facilities have agreed that having diazepam on the code cart is a wise formulary addition, about one-third of the facilities do not maintain it as such.
While lorazepam is regarded as a drug of choice (due to its longer action) for status epilepticus, diazepam remains a wise choice (lorazepam has to be refrigerated and is usually not available in most facilities). We have seen two recent events calling for diazepam. I recommend it for review for inclusion at your medical staff meeting.
Sign up for our FREE E-Weekly for more coverage like this sent to your inbox!
Note: As with midazolam, last month this product was experiencing extremely short supply.
Some guidelines:
- Do not add a second drug to the same syringe
- Diazepam: Push at about 5 mg/ minute; Lorazepam: 2 mg/min
- Too rapid administration may lead to hypotension and respiratory depression
- Dose: Diazepam = 0.2 mg/kg
- Dose: Lorazepam = 0.1 mg/kg
Learn more about Sheldon S. Sones and Associates at www.sheldonsones.com.
More Articles Featuring Sheldon Sones:
Where to Store Extra Code Cart Locks: Q&A With Sheldon Sones of Sheldon S. Sones and Associates
10 Things I Would Do Now If I Was Preparing for a Survey