Critical care nurse
-
Critical care nurse · Dec 2019
ReviewNursing Care Guidelines for Reducing Hospital-Acquired Nasogastric Tube-Related Pressure Injuries.
Nurses certified in wound, ostomy, and continence monitored an increasing incidence of hospital-acquired pressure injury of the nares due to medical devices, specifically nasogastric tubes, in a metropolitan hospital. A majority of these pressure injuries occurred in patients in the intensive care unit. The organization lacked formal guidelines for preventing such injuries. ⋯ The creation and implementation of clear and specific guidelines for assessing and securing nasogastric tubes successfully reduced nasogastric tube-related hospital-acquired pressure injury.
-
Critical care nurse · Dec 2019
ReviewDirect Peritoneal Resuscitation: A Novel Adjunct to Damage Control Laparotomy.
Direct peritoneal resuscitation is a validated resuscitation strategy for patients undergoing damage control surgery for hemorrhage, sepsis, or abdominal compartment syndrome with open abdomen and planned reexploration after a period of resuscitation in the intensive care unit. Direct peritoneal resuscitation can decrease visceral edema, normalize body water ratios, accelerate primary abdominal wall closure after damage control surgery, and prevent complications associated with open abdomen. This review article describes the physiological benefits of direct peritoneal resuscitation, how this technique fits within management priorities for the patient in shock, and procedural components in the care of open abdomen surgical patients receiving direct peritoneal resuscitation. Strategies for successful implementation of a novel multidisciplinary intervention in critical care practice are explored.
-
Critical care nurse · Dec 2019
Early Mobilization of Infants Intubated for Acute Respiratory Failure.
Early mobility in the intensive care unit is being promoted as a way to improve outcomes but has not been studied in young infants. ⋯ Holding intubated infants in the intensive care unit was well tolerated, without an increase in adverse events.