Enfermería intensiva
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Cardiac output (CO) is monitored in critically ill patients to maintain and improve cardiac function with the primary goal of adequate tissue perfusion. For a long time, this monitoring has been done using the pulmonary arterial catheter, which has been provoking increasing controversy. For some years, monitoring of CO has been evolving with the appearance of new invasive and non-invasive monitoring systems. ⋯ This system is based on the injection of a cold fluid bolus centrally in the vein. A thermistor located in the tip of the arterial catheter, usually femoral, is used to measure blood temperature changes. A thermodilution curve is created and the hemodynamic parameters obtained after its analysis.
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Enfermería intensiva · Jul 2008
[Validity study of the current risk assessment scale for pressure ulcers in intensive care (EVARUCI)].
Pressure ulcers (PU) are the most frequent injuries in critical patients whose management is the responsibility of the nurses. The first step for its prevention is to determine the patients at risk; however the usual risk assessment scales (Norton, Braden, etc.) do not have adequate specificity to do this. ⋯ The EVARUCI scale is valid to detect patients at risk of development PU in ICU.