American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
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To assess the predictive value for the early detection of sepsis of the physiological monitoring parameters currently recommended by the Surviving Sepsis Campaign. ⋯ The results support the use of some of the guidelines of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign. However, the lowest mean temperature was significantly less for patients without sepsis than for patients with sepsis, a finding that calls into question the clinical usefulness of using hypothermia as an early predictor of sepsis. Alone the group of variables used is not sufficient for discriminating between critically ill patients with and without sepsis.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Influence of music on the stress response in patients receiving mechanical ventilatory support: a pilot study.
Music is considered an ideal therapy for reducing stress in patients receiving mechanical ventilation. Previous studies of the effect of music on stress in such patients have focused solely on indirect markers of the stress response rather than on serum biomarkers. ⋯ Additional research is needed with a larger sample size to evaluate further the influence of music on biochemical markers of the stress response in patients receiving mechanical ventilatory support. In future studies, confounding factors such as endotracheal suctioning and administration of medications that influence the stress response should be controlled for.
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Antibiotic misuse and noncompliance with infection control precautions have contributed to increasing levels of antimicrobial resistance in hospitals. ⋯ Organizational-level factors independent of the practices of individual clinicians may be associated with rates of antimicrobial resistance.
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A new forehead noninvasive oxygen saturation sensor may improve signal quality in patients with low cardiac index. ⋯ In patients with low cardiac index, the forehead sensor was better than the digit sensor for pulse oximetry.
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Models for delivery of patient care that recognize the relationship between the characteristics of the patient and the competencies of the nurse are essential for high-quality outcomes. ⋯ The case report form for assessing characteristics of patients showed utility in a general population of adult and pediatric patients, some critically ill and some not. Nurses without previous knowledge of the AACN Synergy Model were able to apply the model during routine patient care.