Overview
- Magnesium Sulfate
- Indications
- Treat hypomagnesemia
- Normal range 1.5-2.5
- Torsade de point
- Lethal arrhythmia caused by low Mg level- Code Blue!
- Preeclampsia
- Control seizures in pregnant women
- Maintain magnesium levels for patients receiving TPN
- Acute Asthma Exacerbations
- When patient is not responding to other treatments – usually last resort
Nursing Care
Assessment
- Look for signs of Hyper magnesemia (toxicities = side effects of getting too much magnesium)
- Low bp
- Confusion
- Irregular heart beat
- Dizziness
- Muscle weakness
- Increase bleeding time
- Diarrhoea
- Depressed reflexes
- Resp distress (very rare usually level >3)
Therapeutic Management
- Monitor magnesium levels closely
- Monitor kidney function
- Monitor vital signs frequently when giving Magnesium via IV
- Looking for signs of respiratory depression and irregular heart rythms
Nursing Concepts
- Pharmacology
- Magensium is a medication that may be prescribed for a variety of conditions in a hospital setting and requires close monitoring for toxicities.
Patient Education
- Patients should be instructed to only take magnesium supplements under instructions of a provider.
- Patient should monitor for signs of hypermagnesemia and instructed to contact their provider if they experience heart arrhythmias and changes in respiratory patterns.
Cornell Note-Taking System Instructions:
- Record: During the lecture, use the note-taking column to record the lecture using telegraphic sentences.
- Questions: As soon after class as possible, formulate questions based onthe notes in the right-hand column. Writing questions helps to clarifymeanings, reveal relationships, establish continuity, and strengthenmemory. Also, the writing of questions sets up a perfect stage for exam-studying later.
- Recite: Cover the note-taking column with a sheet of paper. Then, looking at the questions or cue-words in the question and cue column only, say aloud, in your own words, the answers to the questions, facts, or ideas indicated by the cue-words.
- Reflect: Reflect on the material by asking yourself questions, for example: “What’s the significance of these facts? What principle are they based on? How can I apply them? How do they fit in with what I already know? What’s beyond them?
- Review: Spend at least ten minutes every week reviewing all your previous notes. If you do, you’ll retain a great deal for current use, as well as, for the exam.
For more information, visit www.nursing.com/cornell
