Critical care nursing clinics of North America
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Crit Care Nurs Clin North Am · Dec 2009
The neuroscience acute care nurse practitioner: role development, implementation, and improvement.
As the number and opportunities for acute care nurse practitioners (ACNPs) continue to increase, the successful integration of these providers into the health care setting becomes more of a challenge. This article outlines strategies for role development, implementation, and evaluation to optimize the performance of the neuroscience ACNP role. The concepts presented are applicable across all acute-care specialties that use ACNPs.
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This article discuss the pathophysiology of traumatic brain injury and increased intracranial pressure, the consequences and treatment of secondary insults, and strategies for the medical and nursing management of the patient who has traumatic brain injury.
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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.