American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
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Use of propofol has recently gained popularity in intensive care settings for patients receiving mechanical ventilation. This newer intravenous sedative is often preferred over other sedatives because of a rapid onset of action, easy titration that allows neurological assessment during administration, and quick arousability of patients after the drug is discontinued. ⋯ The awakening time of patients receiving propofol for a protracted period, usually in conjunction with other potentiating drugs, may be longer than is commonly cited in the literature.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Accuracy of measurements of hemoglobin and potassium in blood samples from peripheral catheters.
To compare measurements of hemoglobin and potassium in blood samples obtained from peripheral venous catheters with measurements in samples obtained via venipuncture. ⋯ Obtaining blood samples from peripheral catheters is an acceptable alternative to venipuncture for hemoglobin measurements but not for potassium measurements. Larger gauge catheters are better than small-gauge catheters for obtaining blood samples.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Thermodilution measurement of cardiac output in patients with low output: room-temperature versus iced injectate.
Measurements of cardiac output with the thermodilution technique add to data for clinical decision making and therefore must be valid and reliable. However, the results of studies on the accuracy of values obtained with room-temperature and iced injectates, especially in patients with high or low cardiac output, have been conflicting. ⋯ The findings support the practice of using room-temperature injectate to measure cardiac output in patients with low cardiac output.
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The American Heart Association is championing a national effort to make automated external defibrillators available to the public. Clinicians are beginning to grapple with the complexities involved in training laypersons to use these devices. The article reviews the experience of researchers involved in such training. ⋯ So far, widespread training of traditional first responders such as police and firefighters to use automated external defibrillators appears to be safe and effective. The data from studies in which nontraditional responders were trained are not as convincing. Further research is needed before we can assume that training of the public will be as easy and effective as training of traditional first responders.