American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
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Aplasia cutis congenita, a rare congenital disorder involving defects of some or all of the layers of the cranium, is associated with potential life-threatening complications. Although treatment involves both nonsurgical and surgical techniques, the importance of perioperative management cannot be overstressed. A multidisciplinary team, including personnel from nursing, neonatology, pediatrics, radiology, neurosurgery, and plastic surgery services, diagnosed aplasia cutis congenita and planned local wound care, surgical correction, and prevention of potentially life-threatening complications in a 1-day-old boy with a 6×5-cm full-thickness scalp defect.
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A collaboration led by the American Heart Association recently released the scientific statement "Prevention of Torsade de Pointes in Hospital Settings." Patients receiving proarrhythmic drugs, who have electrolyte disturbances, or who have bradyarrhythmias require QT-interval monitoring. Prior studies have demonstrated that physicians have a poor level of proficiency at calculating QT intervals. The ability of nurses at calculating QT intervals remains untested. ⋯ Our study results demonstrate that nurses' baseline ability to perform QT interval monitoring is extremely poor. An unacceptable amount of error persists after an educational intervention. Accurate computer-assisted methods are needed to reduce the error associated with manual QT-interval monitoring.
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The incidence of venous thromboembolism in children has increased dramatically, with most cases occurring in children with cancer, surgery, trauma, congenital heart disease, and systemic lupus erythematosus. Early assessment of risk factors present in children would minimize morbidity and mortality from these events. ⋯ Descriptive statistics show that the assessment tool displays strong reliability and validity. Results validated a significant relationship between the risk score and the incidence of venous thromboembolism. Findings suggest that use of the assessment tool could significantly reduce adverse outcomes associated with venous thromboembolism in children.