Enfermería intensiva
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Mechanical ventilation improves the symptoms and reduces complications of acute respiratory failure. Recent advances in microprocessor technology have increased the sophistication of mechanical ventilators, thus leading to new ventilation modalities. This article describes the ventilation modalities available, grouping them as conventional, alternative and new modalities. Conventional ventilation includes the most widely used modalities, alternative ventilation includes less frequently used modalities, and new ventilation modalities include recently introduced options that are available on the latest-generation mechanical ventilators.
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Enfermería intensiva · Jan 2000
[Patients' sleep in intensive care units and sleep-modifying factors].
Patients admitted to intensive care units sleep poorly, generally because of the environmental conditions of these units. Sleep deprivation in critical patients has severe consequences and can contribute to deterioration of their condition. The quality of sleep of the patients in our unit was evaluated to identify factors that they considered disruptive of sleep. ⋯ The most disruptive environmental factor was the sound of alarms, pain bothered patients more than fear or anxiety, and endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation were the techniques that most interfered with sleep. The quality of sleep of patients in the unit was apparently uninfluenced by pre-admission sleep problems, the severity of the process, or the type of analgesia-sedation administered. The largest percentage of patients who slept poorly had been admitted to one of the wings of the unit, which should be studied specifically.
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Enfermería intensiva · Jan 2000
[How well do patients' relatives evaluate and understand information provided by the intensive care unit?].
A study was made of the process of providing information to the relatives of critical patients admitted to a polyvalent ICU. Work was carried out by a group of nurses not usually responsible for informing patients or their relatives, which usually is the task of attending physicians. In intensive care, nurses should become more involved in the information process because they are in close contact with patients and their families. ⋯ The sample consisted of patients admitted on even numbered days. Results were favorable with regard to the level of satisfaction and understanding of the information given to relatives. However, they noted that the lack of privacy and courtesy worsened the perceived quality of care.