Aesthetic nurse creates emergency packs
Aesthetic nurse Jacqueline Naeini is promoting safety first in aesthetic medicine, by providing practitioners with emergency packs for dealing with potential complications, following an aesthetic procedure.
The aesthetic nurse and independent nurse prescriber, who runs aesthetic clinics and aesthetic training company Face Cosmetic Training in the north east of England, has created the Managing Complications Emergency Bags in order to meet the requirements of an ever-growing industry.
“I have had my own emergency bag for years,” she said, “And I had initially put it together due to working in a variety of different locations. It was crucial not to forget anything when travelling between clinics, and so I decided the best option would be to have a separate emergency bag that I had everything I needed in it, from drugs to consent forms, in the event of an emergency.”
Complications can occur even in the hands of the most experienced aesthetic practitioner, and this can sometimes be due to factors outside of the practitioner’s control – such as an unknown allergic reaction, or the body reacting adversely to the treatment in question. This can potentially result in scars, inflammation, or in some cases more serious side effects such as granulomas and vascular occlusions leading to necrosis. In these cases, and to minimise the chance and extent of these occurrences, preparation is key. Sessions at Jacqueline’s training company, based in Penistone in South Yorkshire, look at these factors in detail.
“When training doctors, dentists and nurses, I bear in mind that the complications they would come across in aesthetic medicine are completely different to that of their general medical practice,” said Jacqueline. “As part of my training sessions at Face Cosmetic Training we have an extensive discussion on the potential risks of the treatment in question, and how to manage this complication, be it following a procedure with dermal fillers, botulinum toxin, medical needling or chemical peel.
“In the past, as part of these discussions, I had shown delegates my own emergency bag and its contents. Because of this I received many requests to create additional emergency bags, and so I decided it would be a good idea to allow all delegates the chance to purchase one on completion of the course – this proved really popular. We now receive independent requests from nurses in the specialty, who say that they feel much safer having all emergency supplies in one, organised, bag.”
The Managing Complications Emergency Packs contain five separate compartments. Each bag contains a copy of Expert Consensus on Complications of Botulinum Toxin and Dermal Filler Treatment, written by Mr Christopher Inglefield, Fiona Collins and Marie Duckett, guidance and consent forms on the use of hyaluronidase (an enzyme that degrades hyaluronic acid, the most widely-used dermal filler), a guidance document on the possible event of an anaphylactic reaction, syringes and needles, heat pads, a respiratory support mask, asprin, antihistamines and sterilising materials. It is advised that practitioners add prescription-only medicines, such as adrenaline, GTN (nitroglycerin) paste or patch, hyaluronidase and water for injection, as per the recommendations outlined in the AMEG Consensus.
“The aesthetics industry is growing rapidly,” said Jacqueline. “More clients are having a variety of treatments, and more and more practitioners are training to carry out these treatments, therefore it is generally accepted that more complications are likely to occur.
“Any practitioner therefore has a duty of care to ensure that they are able to manage any complication, and this means undergoing appropriate training, and ensuring that they have the appropriate tools and medication to do this. No practitioner should carry out any treatment unless they have emergency drugs to hand.”
Feedback from practitioners who have purchased a Managing Complications Emergency Bag affirm the importance of owning such a kit. Nurse Zoe Heppenstall said, “Every time you treat a client you always worry about the risk of complications, for example, vessel occlusion or anaphylaxis. It is every aesthetic practitioner’s worst fear! Having all of the necessary equipment and medication close by to deal with complications is absolutely essential, and that’s why I purchased one of Jacqui’s emergency bags. There is everything you need inside it to deal with complications if they occur. It’s very lightweight which means it’s easy to carry around with you wherever you are providing treatments. I particularly like the added touch of the booklet inside which is my manual to help me recognise and treat complications. I feel safer knowing it’s there! Every aesthetic practitioner should have one.”
The Managing Complications Emergency Bags are available via request at [email protected]