Dimensions of critical care nursing : DCCN
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Dimens Crit Care Nurs · Sep 2004
ReviewUse of a specialized transport team for intrahospital transport of critically ill patients.
The transport of critically ill patients is challenging for nurses and patients alike. It is imperative that patient safety be the primary focus. The use of a specialized transport team can help to alleviate many of the adverse effects of the transport.
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Dimens Crit Care Nurs · Sep 2004
Review Case ReportsPivotal role of platelets in critical illness: evidence behind clinical interventions.
Arteriosclerosis, chronic renal failure, and diabetes are all diseases in which the platelet cycle plays an important role. Effective interventions for these diseases are emerging from vascular biology in general and from the study of platelets in particular. ⋯ Platelet active drugs intervene in platelet activation, adhesion, aggregation, and secretion. The purpose of this article is to link the unfolding of platelet cell processes and the impact of platelet active medication therapy to the care of critically ill patients with selected diseases.
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Dimens Crit Care Nurs · Sep 2004
ReviewManagement of increased intracranial pressure: a primer for the non-neuro critical care nurse.
Brain edema and the resulting increase in intracranial pressure may be the result of several conditions: head trauma, intracranial hemorrhage, embolic stroke, infections, tumors, and alterations in cerebral spinal fluid production or absorption. At times, these patients may be treated outside of the neurological intensive care unit (ICU) for a variety of reasons. ⋯ Maintaining expertise outside of one's area of focus is increasingly difficult to do, and the non-neuro critical care nurse may be unfamiliar with some of the newer research findings and trends in treating these patients. The purpose of this article is to review several of the concepts of neurological care and to update critical care nurses in various newer approaches to caring for patients with increased intracranial pressure.
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Drowning is among the leading causes of death in children under 5 years of age. Yet it need not be, as most drowning is often preventable. The author discusses this important topic for all nurses and parents.