American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
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Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) combined with COVID-19 presents challenges (eg, isolation, anticipatory grief) for patients and families. ⋯ Early and ongoing provision of palliative care is feasible and useful for highlighting a range of experiences related to COVID-19. Palliative care is also useful for educating patients and families on the benefits and limitations of ECMO therapy.
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Factors such as the thought of losing the patient, the uncertainty of the course of the disease, and the inability to obtain sufficient information about the patient are frightening and alarming for relatives of patients in the intensive care unit. ⋯ In addition to the uncertainty and fear associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, it is very distressing to have a relative who is a patient in the intensive care unit. In this context, it is especially important to improve the level of coping with stress of the relatives of patients in the intensive care unit and to increase their quality of life.
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Children with congenital heart disease have unique risk factors associated with the pathophysiology of an abnormal heart; hence, this population is most likely at increased risk of acquiring a pressure injury during hospitalization. Few studies have included patients with congenital heart disease or examined the factors unique to these patients. ⋯ Corticosteroid and anticoagulant use were contributing factors in the development of pressure injuries in children with congenital heart disease.