-
- Hosp Case Manag. 1999 Sep 1;7(9):152-6.
AbstractBy implementing an innovative set of ventilator protocols, case managers at Nash General Hospital in Rocky Mount, NC, have cut length of stay for ventilator patients by 34%, reduced the average duration of mechanical ventilation by 38%, and saved the hospital an average of $35,000 in charges per ventilator patient. Elements of the protocol include using pulse oximetry in place of autologous blood gases when possible, performing a chest X-ray and initiating tube feeding immediately after the patient is placed on the ventilator, taking sputum cultures to determine a baseline for organism growth and the need for antibiotics, and weaning the patient at certain oxygen levels. Ventilator collaborative team members are also examining the possibility of adding a kinetic therapy element to the protocols.
Notes
Knowledge, pearl, summary or comment to share?You can also include formatting, links, images and footnotes in your notes
- Simple formatting can be added to notes, such as
*italics*,_underline_or**bold**. - Superscript can be denoted by
<sup>text</sup>and subscript<sub>text</sub>. - Numbered or bulleted lists can be created using either numbered lines
1. 2. 3., hyphens-or asterisks*. - Links can be included with:
[my link to pubmed](http://pubmed.com) - Images can be included with:
 - For footnotes use
[^1](This is a footnote.)inline. - Or use an inline reference
[^1]to refer to a longer footnote elseweher in the document[^1]: This is a long footnote..