A woman in active labor receives an analgesic, an opioid agonist. ...

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A woman in active labor receives an analgesic, an opioid agonist.
 
  Which medication relieves severe, persistent, or recurrent pain; creates a sense of well-being; overcomes inhibitory fac-tors; and may even relax the cervix but should be used cautiously in women with cardiac disease? 1. Meperidine (Demerol)
  2. Promethazine (Phenergan)
  3. Butorphanol tartrate (Stadol)
  4. Nalbuphine (Nubain)

Question 2

The following breathing patterns are taught to laboring women. Which breathing pattern would the nurse support for the woman and her coach during the latent phase of the first stage of labor if they attended Lamaze classes?
 
  1. Slow-paced breathing
  2. Deep abdominal breathing
  3. Modified-paced breathing
  4. Patterned-paced breathing

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Answer to Question 1

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1. Correct. Historically, meperidine is the most commonly used opioid agonist analgesic for women in labor throughout the world. It overcomes inhibitory factors in labor and may even relax the cervix. Because tachycardia is a possible adverse reaction, meperidine is used cautiously in women with cardiac disease.
2. Incorrect. Phenergan is an ataractic (tranquilizer) that may be used to augment the desira-ble effects but few of the undesirable effects of the opioid analgesics.
3. Incorrect. Stadol is an opioid agonist-antagonist analgesic.
4. Incorrect. Nubain is an opioid agonist-antagonist analgesic.

Answer to Question 2

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1. Correct. Slow-paced breathing is approximately half the woman's normal breathing rate. It is used during the early stages of labor when a woman can no longer walk or talk through her contractions.
2. Incorrect. There is no such pattern as deep abdominal breathing in Lamaze.
3. Incorrect. Modified breathing is shallow breathing that is twice the woman's normal breathing rate. It is used when labor progresses and the woman can no longer maintain relax-ation through the use of paced breathing.
4. Incorrect. Patterned-pace breathing is a fast 4:1 breathe, breathe, breathe, blow pattern that is used during the transitional phase of labor just prior to pushing and delivery.