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I guess I'm just skeptical that the average patient really prefers being anchored to a bed with numb legs and a tube in her back for 24 hours, vs ambulating with a heplocked IV and intrathecal narcotics.
I'm one of those rare guys who likes doing OB, and although my patients are pretty consistently satisfied, I'm always looking for ways to make their experience better. I'm trying to convince myself to give this 24 hr post-c-section epidural thing a shot, but I don't see it.
Fentanyl 5mcg/cc / bupiv 0.04% with a rate of 5cc/hr if I remember the pre-printed orders correctly. They're not numb. They ambulate 4-6hrs postop per whatever "pathway" or protocol is set up by the hospital. We have acute pain NP's that round on all our post-op pain patients twice a day and a doc once a day. Since we have in-house anesthesia, someone is always available to see these patients if needed, day or night. The epidural cath is pulled 24-36 hrs postop as soon as the patient is taking PO.