Journal of emergency nursing : JEN : official publication of the Emergency Department Nurses Association
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The average length of stay of a fast-track area of a large urban hospital was excessively long, which affected the patient experience and the rate at which patients left without being seen. One approach to reducing average length of stay is to create nurse standard work. Nurse standard work was a defined set of process and procedures that reduce variability within a nurse's workflow. ⋯ Nurse standard work reduced the amount of time that nurses spent performing support tasks and reduced delays in providing patient care, which then allowed more time for nurses to interact directly with patients. Nurse standard work provides a clear task sequence that eliminates delays in treating patients, but it also allows for fast identification of delays that do occur and simplifies problem solving to eliminate reoccurrence of delays. Therefore, nurse standard work is an essential component of efforts to reduce patient average length of stay in health care processes and reduce left without being seen to the national standard of less than 2%.
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Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is a viable salvage intervention for patients who experience cardiopulmonary arrest or profound shock from any cause. Acute anaphylactic shock is a rare cause of cardiac arrest. We present a case of a 35-year-old male who experienced cardiac arrest owing to anaphylactic shock while receiving general anesthesia for a routine outpatient surgical procedure. ⋯ Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was initiated by the emergency department provider and nursing team. The patient survived, was neurologically intact, had full recovery, and was discharged home several days later. We have extensive experience with venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and this case exemplifies the value of an established emergency department extracorporeal membrane oxygenation program in managing all causes of cardiac arrest or refractory shock.