Journal of perianesthesia nursing : official journal of the American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses
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J. Perianesth. Nurs. · Apr 2009
Relationship of opioid analgesic protocols to assessed pain and length of stay in the pediatric postanesthesia unit following tonsillectomy.
After tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy in children, postoperative pain management is an essential, yet often challenging, task. In addition to discomfort, lack of pain management can lead to delays in oral intake of patients, resulting in extended stays and increased costs. ⋯ Nurses in the postanesthesia care unit retrospectively compared a fentanyl and morphine regimen with a morphine-only regimen to determine whether either protocol made a difference in length-of-stay or pain relief. Analysis of available data revealed no statistically significant differences in length of stay between the groups and trivial differences thought to be clinically irrelevant on other variables.
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J. Perianesth. Nurs. · Apr 2009
Analysis of the application of cricoid pressure: implications for the clinician.
The application of cricoid pressure may reduce the incidence of pulmonary aspiration of gastric contents in at-risk patients. Cricoid pressure may be applied during intubation in a variety of settings including the operating room, postanesthesia care unit, intensive care unit, and emergency department. Significant deficits in cognitive knowledge and practical application skills have been demonstrated among medical personnel responsible for the application of cricoid pressure. ⋯ The descriptive aspect of the study revealed significant deficiencies in knowledge and application skills. Despite 57.7% of the study participants acknowledging having formalized training within the previous 8 months, the results demonstrated that they were no more likely to identify, correctly state, or apply the proper cricoid pressure when compared with participants who did not attend formalized training. Future studies should focus on determining effective approaches to formalized training programs and the optimal timing of competency-based testing/review for retention of knowledge and skills related to the application of cricoid pressure.