American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Room-temperature thermodilution cardiac output: central venous vs right ventricular port.
To assess the accuracy of room-temperature thermodilution cardiac output measurements from the right ventricular port. In addition, waveform patterns were evaluated to determine the actual location of the right ventricular port. ⋯ Thermodilution cardiac output measurements using 10 mL normal saline at room temperature can be determined accurately using the right ventricular port if the central venous port becomes nonfunctional.
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The intensive care unit is set apart from other hospital patient care areas by (1) physiological instrumentation that permits better assessment and more effective therapy and (2) more intensive nursing. These capabilities allow nurse and physician intensivists to evaluate tissue perfusion and tissue oxygenation by the temporal patterns of oxygen delivery and oxygen consumption, as well as hemodynamics. ⋯ Using artificial intelligence-based systems, complex clinical algorithms--tailored to specific patient conditions--have been developed and are described. These algorithms are based on both invasive and noninvasive monitoring systems and on clinical experience with a large series of high-risk surgical patients.
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Historical Article
New nurses, new spaces: a preview of the AACN History Study.
This article previews selected findings of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses History Project that is being conducted under the auspices of the Center for the Study of the History of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania. Using methods of social history research, we reviewed pertinent literature, studied documents of institutions and organizations, and interviewed a broad array of participants. ⋯ We explored the effects of changing public and professional ideas about the nature of critical illness, the effects of technology, and the historical dimensions of critical care nursing. Special attention was given to the events and circumstances that led to the development of AACN and the reciprocal relationships between AACN and the care of critically ill people.