Journal of perianesthesia nursing : official journal of the American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses
-
J. Perianesth. Nurs. · Aug 2001
ReviewPerianesthesia care of cardiac surgery patients: a CPAN review.
Postoperative nursing management of cardiac surgery patients is considered part of perianesthesia nursing core curriculum by ASPAN. In many hospitals, however, these patients bypass the PACU and are admitted directly to the ICU. ⋯ Bleeding, cardiac tamponade, low cardiac output syndrome, and dysrhythmias are postoperative complications that are discussed. A brief overview of postoperative nursing management and several "nursing pearls of wisdom" are also presented.
-
J. Perianesth. Nurs. · Aug 2001
ReviewMalignant hyperthermia: perianesthesia recognition, treatment, and care.
Although relatively uncommon, malignant hyperthermia (MH) can be a life-threatening crisis when it occurs intraoperatively or postoperatively. It is imperative that every member of the perianesthesia team knows what to do and works cohesively because it is a true emergency. This article reviews information for perianesthesia nurses, perioperative nurses, and anesthesia providers about agents that trigger MH; early and late symptoms of MH; recommended medications, equipment, and emergency supplies that should be readily available for use; and the recommended protocol for effectively treating MH. ⋯ -Based on the content of this article, the reader should be able to (1) describe the pathophysiology of malignant hyperthermia (MH); (2) identify the triggering agents of MH; (3) identify patients at risk for MH; (4) describe the early and late signs of MH; (5) state the medication of choice to treat MH; and (6) describe perianesthesia and/or perioperative nursing interventions for treating an MH patient.
-
J. Perianesth. Nurs. · Jun 2001
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialA comparison study on the effects of prewarming patients in the outpatient surgery setting.
Maintenance of core body temperature in surgical patients presents a challenge to perioperative nurses. Core temperatures less than 36 degrees C are associated with multiple adverse outcomes postoperatively. Internal redistribution of heat from the body core to the colder periphery results in core temperature decreases of 0.5 degrees C to 1.5 degrees C in the first 30 minutes after induction of anesthesia. ⋯ Temperatures were monitored every 15 minutes throughout the preoperative and postoperative periods. Patients in the forced warm air group had significantly higher temperatures on arrival to the PACU from the OR than did patients in the warm blanket group (P =.000). Patients in the forced warm air group exhibited a change in temperature of 0.0067 degrees C (+/-.52) compared with a decrease of 0.22 degrees C (+/-.48) for patients in the control group.
-
J. Perianesth. Nurs. · Jun 2001
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialThe effects of acupressure on the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting in postsurgical patients.
Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is one of the most common postoperative complications. Aside from pharmacological interventions, other complementary healing modalities have been introduced to assist patients in decreasing PONV and improving postoperative outcomes. This study examined acupressure as a potentially holistic and safe complement to the more traditional approach of using drugs to prevent and/or relieve nausea and vomiting in the postoperative patient. ⋯ These findings must be viewed with caution, however, because power analysis showed low effect sizes and an inadequate sample size. Further research is recommended with a larger sample size. This study has made perianesthesia nurses more aware of other complementary modalities to assist patients with nausea and vomiting.