A Promise to Amanda Foundation Nominates Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas, for "Best of Care 2013" for Its Commitment to Reducing Opioid-Related Adverse Events

SOUTH BEND, Ind., July 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- RT Magazine issues awards every year to respiratory care departments in the United States. Wesley Medical Center deserves recognition for reducing adverse events that progress to Code Blue from 13 percent to zero percent since implementing capnography monitoring for patients receiving patient-controlled analgesia.

A Promise to Amanda Foundation, an advocacy group dedicated to raising awareness about respiratory depression related to opioid pain management, nominates the respiratory care team at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas, for RT Magazine's "Best of Care 2013" award for its dedication to the safe use of opioids in its facilities.

"The respiratory therapy department at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas, deserves the 'Best of Care 2013' award for making opioid pain management safer with capnography monitoring," says Brian Abbiehl, who founded A Promise to Amanda Foundation with his wife, Cindy Abbiehl, after the tragic death of their 18 year-old daughter, Amanda. "Amanda died at another facility while connected to a PCA pump to manage her pain. While it is not mandatory to monitor patients like Amanda with capnography, Wesley Medical Center has taken steps to improve monitoring and reduce the possibility of death and other serious adverse events related to patient-controlled analgesia. For these steps, Wesley Medical Center deserves this award."

Debra Fox, MBA, RRT-NPS and Mark Wencel, MD, from the Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, KS, first presented the Wesley Medical Center study as an abstract and poster presentation in 2011 for the American Association for Respiratory Care. Ms. Fox recently presented on the impact of continuous monitoring at a webinar hosted by the California Hospital Engagement Network in May 2013.

"Our latest results show the sustained reduction in our severe ADRs," explained Ms. Fox. "The hospital's safe medication practice committee is now considering expanding EtCO2 monitoring to all patients receiving intermittent IV opioids, not just those that score as high risk."

Says Abbiehl, "It is particularly important to recognize Wesley Medical Center in 2013 given that this year marks the first RT Magazine awards ceremony since The Joint Commission's Sentinel Event Alert on the safe use of opioids in hospitals in August of last year."

"Wesley Medical Center has demonstrated a commitment to ensuring that all patients remain safe when using PCA by monitoring ventilation with capnography. Doing so leads to earlier interventions before respiratory depression takes place," continues Abbiehl. "The Wesley Medical Center's respiratory care department needs to be acknowledged for its dedication to ensuring the safety of all its patients. It therefore deserves RT Magazine's 'Best of Care' award."

About A Promise to Amanda Foundation

A Promise to Amanda Foundation is a patient safety advocacy group dedicated to raising awareness about respiratory depression. Its goal is that continuously electronically monitoring with capnography and pulse oximetry becomes mandatory for all patients on a PCA pump, under sedation, and requiring a stay in the post anesthesia care unit. Brian and Cindy Abbiehl launched the Foundation after their 18 year-old daughter Amanda tragically died while using a PCA pump.

SOURCE A Promise to Amanda Foundation