Critical care nurse
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The initial minutes and hours of nursing care of the trauma victim make a critical difference in the patient's chance for recovery. The critical care and ED nurse's ability to provide fluid resuscitation rapidly to augment the patient's flagging vascular volume is critical to the maintenance of circulation. ⋯ Early, rapid fluid resuscitation is essential to stave off noncompensatory, irreversible shock. By implementing specific nursing care strategies to increase the flow of IV solutions to the patient, the nurse combats the nursing diagnosis appropriate for almost every multiple trauma victim: Fluid Volume Deficit.
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An alternative to parenteral narcotic management is the administration of analgesics into the epidural space. The recognition and prevention of complications or side effects of epidural analgesia are prime concerns in planning nursing care for these patients.
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Critical care nurse · Jul 1990
Case ReportsDischarging ICU ventilator-dependent patients to home healthcare.
Patients who are ventilator dependent have few alternatives to continued hospitalization. Within our institution and community, intensive care unit (ICU) bed occupancy and lack of skilled nursing facilities forced us to look for other ways to meet their healthcare needs. ⋯ Overcoming the anxiety and developing and implementing the discharge plan became our goals. The goals were achieved when the patient was effectively and safely discharged from the ICU to his home.