Critical care nursing clinics of North America
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Critically ill obese patients have many challenging pulmonary problems. The first key is to understand pathophysiology in the pulmonary system related to obesity. ⋯ Lastly, one should be aware of medical and nursing intervention options that treat symptoms or pulmonary problems of obesity. This article summarizes pulmonary issues related to obesity in critical care.
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Crit Care Nurs Clin North Am · Sep 2009
ReviewThe impact of obesity on critical care resource use and outcomes.
Obese patients in the ICU present unique challenges to the health care team and specific challenges to nurses. This article reviews the science and art of resource use for obese patients in the ICU. Staff nurses and advanced practice nurses can make important contributions in evaluating optimal resource use and improving outcomes in this population of vulnerable patients.
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Crit Care Nurs Clin North Am · Sep 2009
ReviewTrauma in obese patients: implications for nursing practice.
Recently, the impact of obesity on the outcomes of trauma patients has been the focus of several investigations. There have been several studies addressing the impact of obesity on trauma patients. ⋯ However, the literature in nursing management in this patient population is virtually nonexistent and vague. The purpose of this article is to delineate the nursing implications of obesity in trauma patients and to provide guidelines for care of obese trauma patients.
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Achieving pain control in critically ill patients is a challenging problem for the health care team, which becomes more challenging in morbidly obese patients. Obese patients may experience drug malabsorption and distribution, which may lead to either subtherapeutic or toxic drug levels. ⋯ In addition, nurses must be knowledgeable about physiologic pain mechanisms, types and manifestations of pain, differing patterns of drug absorption and distribution, pharmacokinetic properties of analgesic medications, and pain management strategies. This article explores factors affecting pharmacokinetics in obese patients, trends in pain management, and treatment strategies for the obese patient.