Critical care nursing clinics of North America
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Crit Care Nurs Clin North Am · Dec 2016
ReviewSpecial Considerations in the Nursing Care of Mechanically Ventilated Children.
Mechanical ventilation is often required to support the recovery of critically ill children. Critical care nurses must understand the unique needs of the children and design supportive care that is sensitive to their changing physiology, developmental stage, and socioemotional needs. ⋯ It addresses invasive and noninvasive ventilation and the needs of long-term ventilated children and family in critical care. Supportive nursing care that is aligned with the unique needs of the critically ill child is paramount to ensuring best outcomes for these vulnerable patients.
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Crit Care Nurs Clin North Am · Dec 2016
ReviewNursing Strategies for Effective Weaning of the Critically Ill Mechanically Ventilated Patient.
The risks imposed by mechanical ventilation can be mitigated by nurses' use of strategies that promote early but appropriate reduction of ventilatory support and timely extubation. Weaning from mechanical ventilation is confounded by the multiple impacts of critical illness on the body's systems. Effective weaning strategies that combine several interventions that optimize weaning readiness and assess readiness to wean, and use a weaning protocol in association with spontaneous breathing trials, are likely to reduce the requirement for mechanical ventilatory support in a timely manner. Weaning strategies should be reviewed and updated regularly to ensure congruence with the best available evidence.
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Crit Care Nurs Clin North Am · Dec 2016
ReviewBest Practices for Managing Pain, Sedation, and Delirium in the Mechanically Ventilated Patient.
Nursing management of pain, agitation, and delirium in mechanically ventilated patients is a challenge in critical care. Oversedation can lead to delayed extubation, prolonged ventilator days, unnecessary neurologic testing, and complications such as weakness and delirium. ⋯ Acquiring an optimal level of sedation requires the bedside nurse to be more vigilant than ever with patient assessment and medication titration. This article provides a historical perspective of the management of pain, agitation, and delirium, and disseminates information contained in revised Society for Critical Care Medicine Clinical Practice Guidelines (January 2013) to promote their implementation in day-to-day nursing care.