Follow these S.A.V.E M.E. steps to respond to a suspected opioid overdose.
Steps
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| Stimulate | Call out to the individual and if unresponsive, gently touch them to try to wake them up. If unresponsive, apply painful stimuli such as a the trapezius squeeze or the sternal rub to elicit a pain response. If still unresponsive, immediately call 911. |
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| Airway | Look into the individual's mouth to remove any foreign objects that may be visibly blocking the airway such as needle caps, gum, food or vomit. Once the airway is clear, roll the individual onto their back and perform a head-tilt chin-lift or put their person’s head in a sniffing position. |
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| Ventilate | Apply the face shield found in the Naloxone kit, and while pinching the nose, and provide two breaths; initially maintaining the head-tilt chin-lift position, and watching for the chest to rise and fall. If the individual remains unresponsive, give one breath every five seconds while counting out loud (one one thousand, two one thousand…). If you have two responders, one person should provide breaths, and one person should prepare the Naloxone for potential administration. |
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| Evaluate | Is the individual showing any signs of improvement? Have they woken up? Are they breathing effectively on their own? If not, stop giving breaths, or pass this task onto a second person, and prepare to inject Naloxone. |
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| Medication | + Click Here Prepare the 1 cc (0.4 ml), one dose per syringe. Swirl the glass ampoule to get the liquid out of the top and then break the ampoule with the amp snapper. Draw the naloxone full dose up into the vanish point syringe. Place the needle at a 90(degree) angle and draw the needle back into the barrel to reduce the risk of sharps injury. Inject the naloxone into a muscle such as deltoid, vastus lateralus or dorsogluteal. Click the + button to see a diagram of the 3 locations. Note: The needle can be inserted through clothing. |
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| Evaluate & Support | Has the individual’s colour improved? Are they breathing independently? If there is no change, inject a second and/or third dose of Naloxone, 3-5 minutes apart and up to 3 doses, as provided in the naloxone kit. |
