What is the drug of choice for pain relief in patients with STEMI?
Morphine sulfate is the drug of choice for pain relief in patients with STEMI, especially those whose course is complicated by acute pulmonary edema. It can alleviate the work of breathing, reduce anxiety, and favorably affect ventricular loading conditions. The dose of morphine sulfate needed to achieve adequate pain control will vary depending on patient age, body size, BP, and heart rate. Naloxone can be administered in doses of 0.1 to 0.2 mg IV every 15 minutes when indicated to reverse the narcotic effects of morphine, and atropine 0.5 to 1.5 mg IV may be administered to counter excessive morphine-related bradycardia.