Critical care nurse
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Critical care nurse · Dec 2012
Review Comparative StudyHearing loss in older critical care patients: participation in decision making.
Older adults with hearing loss who receive care in the noisy environment of a critical care unit can be disadvantaged in their ability to understand speech, thus limiting their participation in decision making. Providing optimal outcomes for such patients can be understood through use of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Synergy Model. When older adults are admitted to a critical care unit, their spouses, children, and friends are in positions to participate in the patients' care. The AACN Synergy Model patient characteristic of participation in care is useful in enhancing optimal outcomes for older patients.
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Critical care nurse · Dec 2012
ReviewTelenursing in the intensive care unit: transforming nursing practice.
In tele-intensive care units, informatics, telecommunication technology, telenursing, and telemedicine are merged to provide expert, evidence-based, and cutting-edge services to critically ill patients. Telenursing is an emerging subspecialty in critical care that is neither well documented in the extant literature nor well understood within the profession. Documentation and quantification of telenursing interventions help to clarify the impact of the telenurse's role on nursing practice, enhancement of patient care, patient safety, and outcomes. Tele-intensive care unit nursing will continue to transform how critical care nursing is practiced by enhancing/leveraging available resources through the use of technology.
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Critical care nurse · Dec 2012
Review Case ReportsClots kill: hematologic pharmacology for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.
Drugs that work on the hematologic system play an important role in helping to limit the morbidity and mortality that can be associated with an acute coronary syndrome. The pharmacology of the fibrinolytic agents, thrombin inhibitors, and antiplatelet agents is described. A case study of a woman having an ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction is reviewed to highlight the importance of drugs that work on the hematologic system.
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Abdominal compartment syndrome is defined as sustained intra-abdominal pressure greater than 20 mm Hg (with or without abdominal perfusion pressure <60 mm Hg) associated with new organ failure or dysfunction. The syndrome is associated with 90% to 100% mortality if not recognized and treated in a timely manner. ⋯ This article provides relevant definitions, outlines risk factors for abdominal compartment syndrome developing in children, and discusses an instructive case involving an adolescent with abdominal compartment syndrome. Techniques for measuring intra-abdominal pressure, normal ranges, and the importance of monitoring in the critical care setting for timely identification of intra-abdominal hypertension and abdominal compartment syndrome also are discussed.
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Contrast-induced nephropathy is an iatrogenic disease caused by the administration of iodinated contrast material to certain at-risk patients. The clinical features include renal failure, with oliguria, anuria, and electrolyte derangements. ⋯ A variety of preventive and treatment strategies exist, including use of alternative imaging. Critical care nurses need to understand the nephropathy and the patients at risk and to develop a familiarity with prevention, treatment, and outcome.