Argumentative Essay On Pitocin

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Amber Smith SUR 108 Final – Bonus Points Essay Pitocin I have been working in the hospital setting for about 7 years now, and before I got the job working in Labor and Delivery, I thought I had learned a fair share of information regarding medicines, different diagnostic procedures dealing with Radiology, and a number of things that fall under patient care.. Up until 3 years ago. June 24, 2013, I got hired to work in Labor and Delivery at Baptist East in Montgomery. It has to be one of the most challenging, interesting, and humbling jobs I have ever had. Over the last few years, I have learned some basics on Pitocin. I knew that it was a hormones the body naturally produced, but some of the times, not enough of it to make the uterus contract …show more content…

When the body is ready for the delivery of a baby, the pituitary gland will release Pitocin to stimulate contractions of the uterus. Sometimes, the body does not produce enough Pitocin for delivery, and it will have to be given intravenously. When Pitocin is being given intravenously, the patient will have to be on continuous monitoring so the caregiver can keep an eye on the contractions and fetal heart tones. The dose of this medication varies from patient to patient, depending on the sensitivity of the uterus. When being infused, it should always be started at a very low rate. The Pitocin solution is prepared by adding a 1mL vial containing 10 units of Oxytocin to 1000 mL of 0.9% aqueous sodium chloride , also known as Normal Saline. The initial starting dose should always be 0.5-1 mU/min. Every 30-60 minutes, the Pitocin can be bumped up in increments of 1-2mU/min until desired contraction pattern has been reached and labor has progressed to 5-6 cm in …show more content…

This drug can cause a number of adverse reactions in both mother and baby. In mother, anaphylactic reactions, premature ventricular contractions, postpartum and subarachnoid hemorrhage, rupturing of the uterus, cardiac arrhythmia, hypertensive episodes, pelvic hematoma, fetal afibrinogenemia, and nausea and vomiting can occur. Hypersensitivity or overdose could result in hypertonicity, spasms, tetanic contractions, or uterine rupture. Since Oxytocin has antidiuretic properties, it can cause oxytocin-induced water intoxication and lead to maternal death. The effects Pitocin can have on the fetus include bradycardia, permanent CNS or brain damage, neonatal seizures and fetal death due to induced uterine motility AND low Apgar scores at five minutes after birth, neonatal jaundice, and neonatal retinal hemorrhage due to use of oxytocin by

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