Critical Care Example Medications
Critical care services are provided in a variety of venues including ICUs, CCUs,
SICUs, EDs, and hospital wards. This list of medications has been assimilated to
provide physicians and qualified NPPs with a reference regarding the types of
medications most commonly used in efforts expended to “prevent further
deterioration” of patients.
This list is also intended to be used by coders. Documentation of any of these
medications on a patient record should prompt a coder that the record in question
could represent a Critical Care-type case, and should elicit further review of that
record for documentation of Critical-care time. Furthermore, the list will also help
coders determine whether or not a chart should be returned to a physician for
further review if they suspect that Critical Care time should have been documented,
but may have been inadvertently left off of the record.
The following list of medications has been culled from a large number of Critical Care
patient records that were submitted by a variety of emergency physician groups and
emergency departments over a two-year period. The list includes both generic and
trade names. Some of the medications on this list require more than one IV
administration.
Please note: This list is not all-inclusive. Some new medications that are currently
being used in CCUs, SICUs, and ICU practice locations have not been included in the
list.
Medications administered IV unless otherwise specified (Please note: This
list is not all inclusive.):
Abciximab (ReoPro™)
Adenosine/Adenocard™ (> 1 dose)
Acetadote™ (N-Acetyl Cysteine), IV
Aggrastat™
Alteplase (TPA, Activase™)
Amiodarone
Apresoline™
Argatroban (Argatroban™)
Atropine
Ativan™ IM or IV (for actively seizing pt, status epilepticus or significant
agitation with > one dose)
Brethine
Bumetanide (Bumex™) (>1 dose)
Calcium Chloride or Calcium Gluconate
Cardene™
Cardizem™ (> 1 dose or drip).
Corlopam™
CroFab™
D50W (> 1 dose)
Diazepam for status epilepticus
Diazoxide
Diltiazem (> 1 dose or drip)
Digibind™
Dobutamine
1
-
Dopamine
Drotrecogin Alfa (Xigris™)
Enalapril (> 1 dose)
Epinephrine or Adrenalin
Epinehprine SQ for anaphylaxis or severe allergic reaction
Fenoldopan
Furosemide (>1 dose)
Epoprostenol (Flolan™)
Eptifibatide (Integrillin™)
Esmolol
Glucagon
Haldol™ IV or IM (significant agitation with > one dose)
Haldol™ IV or IM one dose and additional anti-psychotics IV or IM including
Abilify™, Geodon™, Risperdal™ and/or Zyprexa™)
Heparin for PE, ACS, R/O MI or admitted chest pain
Hydralazine
Hyperstat™
Insulin drip with or w/out initial bolus
Isuprel
Kayexalate oral combined with IV D50/IV insulin and/or IV calcium(for
hyperkalemia)
Lasix (> 1 dose)
Labetalol (> 1 dose) or 1 dose with an additional anti-hypertensive
Lepirudin (Refludan™)
Levophed
Lidocaine (IV not subcutaneous)
Lopressor™ (3 doses)
Lorazepam (for actively seizing pt)
Lovenox™ subq for PE, ACS, admitted Chest pain or R/O MI
Mannitol (Hexan™)
Metoprolol (3 doses)
Milrinone (Primacor™)
Mucomyst (N-Acetyl Cysteine), PO
Nalaxone
Narcan™
Natrecor™
Neosynephrine
Neseritide
Nicardipine
Nipride™
Nitroglycerine
Nitroprusside
Norepinephrine
Normodyne™
Octreotide
Oxytocin (in the emergency setting)
Phenobarbitol for status epilepticus
Pitocin (in the emergency setting)
Potassium (for K < 2)
Procainamide
Pronestyl
Propanolol
ReoPro™
2
-
Sodium Bicarbonate
Streptokinase
Terbutaline
Theophylline
Thrombolytics (Retavase™,TNKase™)
Tirofiban
Trandate (3 doses)
Trepropstimil (Remodulin™)
Tridil
Valium (for actively seizing pt, status epilepticus or significant agitation with
> one dose)
Vasotec™ (> 1 dose)
Vasopressin (Pitressin™)
RSI (Rapid Sequence Intubation) Drugs (Please note: This list is not all-inclusive
and indicates that the patient has required endotracheal intubation for respiratory
insufficiency for whatever reason):
Succinylcholine (Anectine™)
Vecuronium
Etomidate
Rocuronium
Norcuron™
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