Critical care nurse
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Critical care nurse · Apr 2011
ReviewTraumatic brain injury: advanced multimodal neuromonitoring from theory to clinical practice.
Traumatic brain injury accounts for nearly 1.4 million injuries and 52 000 deaths annually in the United States. Intensive bedside neuromonitoring is critical in preventing secondary ischemic and hypoxic injury common to patients with traumatic brain injury in the days following trauma. ⋯ The trends in and significance of metabolic, physiological, and hemodynamic factors in traumatic brain injury are reviewed, the technical aspects of the specific equipment used to monitor these parameters are described, and how multimodal monitoring may guide therapy is demonstrated. As a clinical practice, multimodal neuromonitoring shows great promise in improving bedside therapy in patients with traumatic brain injury, ultimately leading to improved neurological outcomes.
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Critical care nurse · Apr 2011
Modified insertion of a peripherally inserted central catheter: taking the chest radiograph earlier.
Placement of the tip of a peripherally inserted central catheter in the lower third of the superior vena cava is essential to minimize the risk of complications. Sometimes, however, the catheter tip cannot be localized clearly on the chest radiograph, and repositioning a catheter at bedside is difficult, sometimes impossible. A chest radiograph obtained just after the catheter is inserted, before the guidewire is removed, can be helpful. ⋯ No catheter was exchanged or removed. The infection rate for catheter placement did not increase when this method was used. This modification facilitates accurate location of the catheter tip on the chest radiograph, making it easy to correct any malposition (by withdrawing, advancing, or even reinserting the catheter after withdrawal).
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Critical care nurse · Apr 2011
Comparative StudyNapping during night shift: practices, preferences, and perceptions of critical care and emergency department nurses.
Nurses working night shifts are at risk for sleep deprivation, which threatens patient and nurse safety. Little nursing research has addressed napping, an effective strategy to improve performance, reduce fatigue, and increase vigilance. ⋯ Nurses identified personal health, safety, and patient care issues supporting the need for a restorative nap during night shift. Barriers to napping exist within the organization/work environment.
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Critical care nurse · Apr 2011
Evidence-based practice habits: putting more sacred cows out to pasture.
For excellence in practice to be the standard for care, critical care nurses must embrace evidence-based practice as the norm. Nurses cannot knowingly continue a clinical practice despite research showing that the practice is not helpful and may even be harmful to patients. This article is based on 2 presentations on evidence-based practice from the American Association for Critical-Care Nurses' 2009 and 2010 National Teaching Institute and addresses 7 practice issues that were selected for 2 reasons. ⋯ Second, these are areas in which the tradition and the evidence do not agree and practice continues to follow tradition. The topics to be addressed are (1) Trendelenburg positioning for hypotension, (2) use of rectal tubes to manage fecal incontinence, (3) gastric residual volume and aspiration risk, (4) restricted visiting policies, (5) nursing interventions to reduce urinary catheter-associated infections, (6) use of cell phones in critical care areas, and (7) accuracy of assessment of body temperature. The related beliefs, current evidence, and recommendations for practice related to each topic are outlined.
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Critical care nurse · Apr 2011
Intraosseous devices for intravascular access in adult trauma patients.
Three intraosseous devices have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in adult trauma patients when intravenous access cannot be obtained. Sites of insertion are the sternum (FAST1), proximal tibia and humerus (Big Injection Gun), and proximal and distal tibia and humerus (EZ-IO). ⋯ Contraindications include fractures or other trauma at the insertion site, prosthetic joints near the site, previous attempts to insert an intra osseous device at the same site, osteoporosis or other bone abnormalities, infections at the proposed site, and inability to identify pertinent insertion landmarks. Primary complications are extravasation of medications and fluids into the soft tissue, fractures caused by the insertion, and osteomyelitis.