Critical care nurse
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Critical care nurse · Feb 2022
Cardiogenic Shock and the Use of Percutaneous Mechanical Assist Devices.
Percutaneous mechanical assist devices are used in patients with cardiogenic shock. The purpose of this article is to familiarize critical care nurses with the various types of percutaneous mechanical assist devices, including the intra-aortic balloon pump, the Impella device, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and the TandemHeart device. Each type of device requires specific nursing care. In a patient with cardiogenic shock, the monitoring, care, and interventions provided by an experienced critical care nurse can make the difference between survival and death.
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Critical care nurse · Feb 2022
ReviewMultisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children in the Critical Care Setting.
Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children is a new syndrome that has been hypothesized to be connected with the COVID-19 pandemic. Children are presenting-likely after SARS-CoV-2 infection or exposure-with vague symptoms including fever, gastrointestinal distress, and/or rash. ⋯ Critical care nurses must remain informed about advances in the care of patients with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, as these patients are often seen in critical care environments because of their high risk of cardiovascular failure.
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Critical care nurse · Feb 2022
A Nurse-Led Voiding Algorithm for Managing Urinary Retention After General Thoracic Surgery.
Untreated postoperative urinary retention (POUR) leads to bladder overdistension. Treatment of POUR involves urinary catheterization, which predisposes patients to catheter-associated urinary tract infections. The hospital's rate of POUR after lobectomy was 21%, exceeding the Society of Thoracic Surgeons' benchmark of 6.4%. Nurses observed that more patients were being catheterized after implementation of a newly revised urinary catheter protocol. ⋯ The use of this nurse-led voiding algorithm effectively reduced and sustained rates of POUR.
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Critical care nurse · Feb 2022
Innovative Partnership Between Intensive Care Unit Nurses and Therapists to Care for Patients With COVID-19.
When patients with COVID-19 began presenting to hospitals in early 2020, medical professionals were unprepared to handle the severity of disease and the number of severely ill patients. ⋯ Deployment of nonnursing clinical staff could be an effective strategy to leverage available resources while maintaining clinical standards of care and reducing nursing burden during a pandemic or crisis surge.