A patient has suffered from a traumatic brain injury and is scheduled to undergo surgery. The physician requests that the patient be coma-induced. The nurse would expect to administer which of the following medications for an induced coma of a neurosurgery patient?

Explanation

• Pentobarbital is a barbiturate used for coma induction (also called a "barb coma") 

• Barbiturate comas are used to reduce the metabolic rate of brain tissue and cerebral blood flow, which helps decrease intracranial pressure 

• Diazepam and lorazepam are benzodiazepines, not barbituates.  Propofol is an anesthetic and is used for sedation, but not to induce a coma 

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