Intensive & critical care nursing : the official journal of the British Association of Critical Care Nurses
-
Intensive Crit Care Nurs · Feb 2013
Impact of a preventive programme on the occurrence of incidents during the transport of critically ill patients.
Incidents related to transport of critically ill patients have been extensively reported. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of an interdisciplinary preventive programme used by all intensive care unit team members involved in patients' transport on the rate of these incidents. ⋯ A preventive programme applied by all care providers involved in transport of critically ill patients was associated with a reduction of incidents. The application of such a programme should be acknowledged as a standard of care considering the risks inherent to the transportation of ICU patients.
-
Intensive Crit Care Nurs · Feb 2013
Case ReportsPulmonary embolism in the emergency department: a Singaporean nursing case review.
The presentation of pulmonary embolism to the emergency department (ED) can prove challenging because of the myriad of potential disease processes that mimic its signs and symptoms. The incidence of pulmonary embolism and indeed the mortality associated with it is relatively high. Early diagnosis and treatment is crucial in off-setting the potential deleterious effects associated with this condition. The aim of this article is to present a nursing case review of a patient presenting to the ED with a diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. ⋯ We found the use of case review very enlightening in understanding the disease process and the decision-making that accompanies this. Whilst our patient was successfully rehabilitated home, we learnt a lot from the experience which has been most beneficial in supporting our understanding of pulmonary embolism.
-
Intensive Crit Care Nurs · Feb 2013
Feasibility of a sedation wake-up trial and spontaneous breathing trial in critically ill trauma patients: a secondary analysis.
To determine the feasibility of conducting a sedation wake-up trial (SWT) plus a spontaneous breathing trial (SBT) in critically ill trauma patients based on the ability to implement the combined intervention; to measure and describe patients' physiological responses; and to maintain patient safety. ⋯ SWT plus SBT was well tolerated and successfully implemented. Our data showed that it is not necessary to withhold continuous-infusion analgesia during the SWT.
-
Intensive Crit Care Nurs · Feb 2013
Nurse perception of Bispectral Index monitoring as an adjunct to sedation scale assessment in the critically ill paediatric patient.
Reliability of clinical scales and haemodynamic variables for assessing sedation depth in critically children is limited, particularly for those receiving neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs). ⋯ Post-intervention, BIS monitoring was adopted in PICU for children receiving NMBAs. One year later, this practice is sustained, and the percentage of BIS-monitored patients has increased. Guidelines addressing the use of BIS in patients not receiving paralytics are needed.