Dimensions of critical care nursing : DCCN
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Minimally invasive coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is a promising variation on traditional CABG, avoiding the risks of sternotomy and cardiopulmonary bypass. This article describes the procedure, patient-selection criteria, and postoperative care.
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Dimens Crit Care Nurs · Mar 1999
Case ReportsA sedation protocol for preventing patient self-extubation.
Inadequate sedation management can place critically ill patients in danger of self-injury. This article describes the development and use of a protocol for managing sedation in intubated patients to prevent injury from self-extubation. Critical care nurses can use the protocol to effectively manage agitation in intubated patients and prevent self-extubation.
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Dimens Crit Care Nurs · Jan 1999
Patients' perceptions of uncertainty and stress during weaning from mechanical ventilation.
Weaning from mechanical ventilation is physiologically and psychologically stressful for patients. The critical care nurse is in an optimal position to reduce patients' stress during this process. The findings of this exploratory study suggest practice changes--based on patients' perspectives--that help reduce patients' feelings of uncertainty and stress as they are weaned from mechanical ventilation.
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Sedating critically ill children presents a challenge for even the most experienced critical care nurse. The nurse must differentiate agitation caused by pain, fear, hypoxia, or other factors and take appropriate action. This paper discusses using an algorithm to assess agitation and sedation needs and presents management options for sedation.
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Dimens Crit Care Nurs · Nov 1998
ReviewNursing interventions to reduce perioperative cardiac morbidity and mortality.
Morbidity and mortality remain high for patients with preexisting cardiac disease undergoing noncardiac surgery. These patients use an increasing number of intensive care unit, ventilator, and hospital days. This article analyzes research on factors influencing morbidity and mortality of noncardiac surgery patients and identifies nursing interventions that can improve outcomes for these patients.