Just graduated in May and started on a stepdown unit. Our unit just started taking dopamine gtts, but no one is used to taking it and of course I got assigned a new admit on dopamine. Your video really helped explain the function of the medication and helped me care for my patient better!
This is so great to hear. I'm really happy knowing that these are helpful for you! I really appreciate the kind words and for taking the time to leave a comment.
Really enjoy your posts! I am a Paramedic with Grady and my wife is CCRN at Emory ICU and we enjoy watching and discussing your videos together. At Grady EMS We use Levo rather than Dopamine so looking forward to your videos contrasting these options. Thanks for posting.
Awesome man! I bet your arrangement makes for some interesting dinner conversations! lol Now, when you say you use levo rather than dopamine, in what context? I'm assuming for BP as a vasopressor?
Dopamine isn’t used often but it’s also not uncommon in my icu. We usually use it for heart block patients and symptomatic bradycardia but it usually gets D/Cd soon after they get TVP wires it and implanted pacer from the CCL
Agreed. TVP is the way to go for persistent symptomatic bradycardia but every now and again will see it left running if pt well responsive, as well as the occasion CTS use for renal dose 🙄
Thank you for explaining why an injection of metoclopramide has posibly given me dystonisa and tardive dyskinesia.. Can you guys please be extremely careful when administering dopamine drugs please?
I am a new ICU nurse and your videos have been helpful to help me understand medications that are new to me. I wanted to clarify your opinion on what my preceptor taught me. Recently, I had a patient that was in a third degree heart block that occurred on a step-down unit. Initially, the patient was given atropine with no impact and then she was placed on a dopamine gtt @ 10 mcg (she received a TVP that night). Two questions, I was told that atropine is not effective for third degree heart block. Second, do you think Dopamine IS effective for third degree heart block? The patient was in and out of the heart block until the TVP was placed; however, I wasn't convinced that the medications were the reason she converted. As I didn't hear heart block mentioned in your video, I was curious! Thanks!
Great question. Dopamine and Epi are indicated to start for CHB, but usually they won't be effective and pacing is almost always required. Sounds like your patient had a transient block of the final conduction pathway hence the going in and out.
I've read some studies (happy to find them if you'd like) that argue against the idea that Dopamine actually does have a 'renal dose,' and am curious what your thoughts are on that? It would make sense, physiologically, that it does, however there is talk amongst clinicians I've worked with in emergency/crit care who state that simply isn't the case and that mode of therapy is more old-school. Secondly, regarding its use for brady-dysrhythmias/hypotension: I've had medical directors in former EMS agencies with whom I've worked that have said its arrhythmogenic properties make it a terrible medication for use. Again, I can appreciate this as anecdotal, however at least in the pre-hospital field it's 'well-known' that Dopamine is rarely a drug we should reach for, if ever. I rarely see it in the cardiac ICU where I work currently, and when I do it is for the aforementioned renal-dose, but again I haven't noted a significant result when I've had patients on it for that reason. Would love your thoughts, and keep up the great work. your videos are awesome, thanks!
Yeah I've definitely seen the studies and the evidence seems pretty clear that renal dose is not of benefit and in fact can actually be detrimental. We do know it increases urine production. The question is, giving a dose that produces this without any added real benefit to perfusion, is that effective? The evidence seems to say no. That said, I've seen some very intelligent physicians who I trust, who still use it this way occasionally. As for its use in ICU, I do see it a bit for bradycardia, but short of throwing the kitchen sink and then some at people, I don't often see it used for shock. That said, it is a quick access in our code carts, so sometimes it is used out of convince in shock, but usually mixing up a levo, Neo, or epi drip doesn't take that long.
Great video thank you so much sir but some confusion you didn't talk about dopamine action on dopaminergic reseptor renal perfusion and increase urine output and also prevent cell injury.
I'm protecting 90 year old alzimer+dementia patient.short time memory is too low.tell several times can force to 10m walk,eat ...sit or stay same position.talks well. But words (vocabulary)low.Is there any memory improving drug?--- you are doing good work to the world !
Love, love your videos. Great information. I want to know why some critical care medications are not Great to be given via peripheral IV access. Thanks for your reply
Yay! So happy to hear this. So it often depends on the medication for some of the reasons, but pressors, which are the most common that this comes up with, are due to a few things. They are vesicants and irritants and are better served infusing in to a large vessel, aka central line. Also with those we run the risk of extravasation and potentially tissue necrosis if that happens. That said, if there is no other option, we absolutely will use peripheral IVs until we can get a central!
@@ICUAdvantage If it helps, a lot of times this has happened with our patients who are on sedatives--often precedex, but simultaneously on esmolol and several other IV medications. I'm sure hypoxia from Covid ARDS doesn't help either. At first it caught us off guard. We thought maybe there was some vagaling, but then it started happening without inline ETT suctioning. We used atropine, got hypertensive. Then in 30 minutes or so that rhythm would come back and then eventually one of us would get annoyed with that roller coaster and just start dopamine and cardene. Usually this would resolve after the patient switched sedation. But it was always a bit exciting when we first started sedating.