Critical care nurse
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Critical care nurse · Aug 2015
Stop the Noise: A Quality Improvement Project to Decrease Electrocardiographic Nuisance Alarms.
As many as 99% of alarm signals may not need any intervention and can result in patients' deaths. Alarm management is now a Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goal. ⋯ Use of a bundled approach to managing alarm signals decreased the mean number of alarm signals in a cardiovascular care unit.
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Critical care nurse · Aug 2015
Case ReportsNew Guidelines for Assessment of Malnutrition in Adults: Obese Critically Ill Patients.
Recently released recommendations for detection and documentation of malnutrition in adults in clinical practice define 3 types of malnutrition: starvation related, acute disease or injury related, and chronic disease related. The first 2 are more easily recognized, but the third may be more often unnoticed, particularly in obese patients. ⋯ Missed or delayed detection of malnutrition in these patients may contribute to increases in hospital morbidity and longer hospital stays. Critical care nurses are in a prime position to screen patients at risk for malnutrition and to work with members of the interprofessional team in implementing nutritional intervention plans.
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Critical care nurse · Aug 2015
Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation: Challenges to Nurses and Outcome in Extremely Preterm Babies.
Worldwide, about 15 million infants are born prematurely each year. Technological advances, including invasive mechanical ventilation, play a major role in the survival of extremely preterm babies. ⋯ Vigilant care, monitoring, and careful handling of the infants can prevent infections and long-term complications. Newer, less invasive technologies are promising for improved outcomes in extremely preterm infants.