Pain management and sedation was another challenging aspect of K.A.’s care. K.A.’s response to pharmaceutical interventions required constant evaluation and re-evaluation by his team of nurses. K.A. had been on a fentanyl infusion prior to admission to our ICU and due to the extent of his surgical intervention and his open wound, his fentanyl drip was increased to 10 µg/kg per hour over the first day postoperatively. Over the next several weeks, as K.A. became tolerant of the dosage, his fentanyl dose escalated to a maximum dose of 23 µg/kg per hour. During this timeframe, despite the high dose fentanyl, K.A.’s nurses noted that his pain and sedation need were not being adequately managed. Therefore, the Pain Treatment Service was consulted to help manage K.A.’s analgesia and sedation needs.
Several times per week K.A. required dressing changes to his massive abdominal wound, sometimes requiring some debridement or over sewing of fistulae. These procedures were painful as evidenced by vital sign changes, namely tachycardia, hypertension, decreased oxygen saturation, facial expression and restlessness. For these procedures we began using intermittent boluses of Sufentanyl 2 µg/kg per dose, usually administering three to five doses during the procedure. Although this regimen worked very well in managing K.A.’s discomfort and agitation during these procedures K.A. continued to require more aggressive management of his analgesia and sedation over time. Thus in consultation with Pain Treatment Service a midazolam drip was added to his treatment regimen.
Eventually, as K.A.’s condition became more chronic, the midazolam drip was converted to bolus dosing of lorazepam. Methadone was also used to augment his analgesia due to his very high fentanyl dose, and pentobarbital and Clonidine were added in order to maximize his sedation.
K.A.’s comfort and response to interventions required constant valuation by his bedside nurses utilizing the Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP) and State Behavior Scale (SBS). In collaboration with the multidisciplinary team we were able to assess and through vigilance, adequately treat this infant’s pain and agitation.