Which analgesic is listed for synchronized cardioversion with a maximum single dose of 10 mg?

• A. Morphine Sulfate
• B. Fentanyl
• C. Hydromorphone
• D. Ketamine

Answer: (A)

During synchronized cardioversion, providing analgesia helps the patient tolerate the shock and stay still, reducing distress and movement that could complicate the procedure. The SNHD protocol lists morphine sulfate as the analgesic for this setting with a maximum single dose of 10 mg. The dosing unit matters here: morphine is given in milligrams, whereas fentanyl is dosed in micrograms, so a 10 mg cap wouldn’t apply to fentanyl. Hydromorphone and ketamine have different typical dosing ranges and uses in this context, so they aren’t described with a 10 mg single-dose limit for synchronized cardioversion. Therefore, morphine sulfate is the analgesic specified with that 10 mg maximum.