Erythromycin Eye Ointment
Erythromycin Eye Ointment ( 5 Questions)
A nurse is applying erythromycin eye ointment to a newborn’s eyes.
How much ointment should the nurse squeeze into the lower conjunctival sac of each eye?
0.25 cm is too short and may not provide adequate coverage of the eye
According to the PEDIATRIC NEWBORN MEDICINE CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES, a thin strip of erythromycin eye ointment should be applied to the lower conjunctival sac of each eye of the newborn within 24 hours after birth.
The length of the strip should be approximately 0.5 cm (or 1/4 inch). This is done to prevent neonatal conjunctivitis, also known as ophthalmia neonatorum, which is a serious eye infection caused by bacteria such as Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
1 cm is too long and may cause excessive ointment to spill out of the eye.
2 cm is way too long and may cause irritation and discomfort to the eye.
The normal range for erythromycin eye ointment application is 0.5 cm to 1 cm, but the recommended dose is 0.5 cm.
The correct answer is choice B. 0.5 cm. According to the PEDIATRIC NEWBORN MEDICINE CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES, a thin strip of erythromycin eye ointment should be applied to the lower conjunctival sac of each eye of the newborn within 24 hours after birth.
The length of the strip should be approximately 0.5 cm (or 1/4 inch). This is done to prevent neonatal conjunctivitis, also known as ophthalmia neonatorum, which is a serious eye infection caused by bacteria such as Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
Choice A is wrong because 0.25 cm is too short and may not provide adequate coverage of the eye.
Choice C is wrong because 1 cm is too long and may cause excessive ointment to spill out of the eye.
Choice D is wrong because 2 cm is way too long and may cause irritation and discomfort to the eye.
The normal range for erythromycin eye ointment application is 0.5 cm to 1 cm, but the recommended dose is 0.5 cm.