American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
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Nurses are often responsible for placement of large-bore gastric tubes. Tube misplacement into the lungs is a potential complication with serious sequelae. The reliability of common bedside methods for differentiating between pulmonary and gastric placement has not been acceptable. ⋯ Neither air insufflation nor capnometry is a fail-safe method for determining placement of gastric tubes. Radiography remains the preferred method.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Animal-assisted therapy in patients hospitalized with heart failure.
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Blood glucose control during acute illness has been associated with improved outcomes. ⋯ Protocol adherence was positively associated with daily time in the target range, but efficacy during the total protocol implementation time remained poor. Because of the frequency of hypoglycemia, protocols to maintain blood glucose levels between 81 and 110 mg/dL in critically ill patients may not be recommended.
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Adverse events and serious errors are common in critical care. Although factors in the work environment are important predictors of adverse outcomes for patients, communication between nurses and physicians may be the most significant factor associated with excess hospital mortality in critical care settings. ⋯ Healthy work environments are important for nurse-physician communication. In intensive care units, characteristics of the work environment did not vary enough to be significantly predictive of outcomes, suggesting that even in various types of critical care units, characteristics of the work environment may be more similar than different.