Critical care nursing clinics of North America
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Crit Care Nurs Clin North Am · Dec 1998
Review Comparative StudySelecting and managing fluid therapy. Colloids versus crystalloids.
The critical care nurse is responsible for monitoring the effects of parenteral therapy. If the nurse is to collaborate with the physician on the type of solution appropriate for the patient, it is imperative that the nurse understand how the solution will impact the patient. Only through comprehending the effects and properties of each solution can the nurse provide quality care and ensure desirable patient outcomes.
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Crit Care Nurs Clin North Am · Dec 1998
Review Case ReportsFluid balance assessment. The total perspective.
Fluid balance assessment is a fundamental aspect of caring for critically ill patients who often have volume disturbances. Since the introduction of hemodynamic monitoring in the critical care setting decades ago, we have become more dependent on technology to assist us in evaluating a patient's fluid status and less skilled in basic physical examination and interpretation of common blood and urine values. Information obtained from these basic clinical skills is equally as, if not more, important as numbers derived by invasive means.