Intensive & critical care nursing : the official journal of the British Association of Critical Care Nurses
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Intensive Crit Care Nurs · Apr 2007
ReviewNursing care of the mechanically ventilated patient: what does the evidence say? Part two.
The care of the mechanically ventilated patient is a fundamental component of a nurse's clinical practice in the intensive care unit (ICU). Published work relating to the numerous nursing issues of the care of the mechanically ventilated patient in the ICU is growing significantly, yet is fragmentary by nature. ⋯ In part one of this two-part paper, the evidence on nursing care of the mechanically ventilated patient was explored with specific focus on patient safety: particularly patient and equipment assessment. This article, part two, examines the evidence related to the mechanically ventilated patient's comfort: patient position, hygiene, management of stressors (such as communication, sleep disturbance and isolation), pain management and sedation.
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Intensive Crit Care Nurs · Apr 2007
ReviewSubstance use and its implications for the critical care nurses: a literature review.
Illicit drug use in Australia has been increasing and studies indicate that illicit drug users have a higher risk of accidents which may result in the user needing critical care. However, there is a significant gap in the literature specifically pertaining to the implications of drug use in critical care. ⋯ Both nursing and medical staff need to have a thorough understanding of how illicit substances work and how they can affect the critical care patient and the care they are given.
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Intensive Crit Care Nurs · Apr 2007
Intensive care unit management of fever following traumatic brain injury.
Fever, in the presence of traumatic brain injury (TBI), is associated with worsened neurologic outcomes. Studies prior to the publication of management guidelines revealed an undertreatment of fever in patients with neurologic insults. Presently the adult TBI guidelines state that maintenance of normothermia should be a standard of care therefore improvement in management of fever in these patients would be expected. ⋯ Patients were more likely to have a high temperature that exceeded 40 degrees C (13%) than a temperature that was normothermic (5%). There continues to be an under treatment of fever in patients with TBI by critical care nurses despite our knowledge of its negative effects on outcomes. There remains a gap in translation between patient outcomes research and bedside practice that needs to be overcome, thus research efforts need to now focus on understanding nurses' decision-making processes and the best methods of fever reduction in patients with TBI.