Nursing in critical care
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Nursing in critical care · Sep 2011
An observational pilot study of CSF diversion in subarachnoid haemorrhage.
A primary focus of hospital treatment following admission for subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) is a prevention of cerebral artery vasospasm, which may result in ischaemic stroke. Intraventricular catheter (IVC) insertion to facilitate cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) drainage and intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring may reduce the incidence or severity of vasospasm, but insufficient evidence exists from which clinicians may determine the best practice of CSF management. ⋯ This study provides a solid foundation for the development of a randomized trial exploring two different methods of ICP monitoring and CSF diversion during the acute phase of care following aneurysm rupture.
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Nursing in critical care · Sep 2011
Risk factors for prolonged stay in cardiac surgery intensive care units.
To identify the factors that might affect the length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU-LOS) among cardiac surgery patients. ⋯ The correlation between patient perioperative risk and ICU-LOS encourages the early identification of high-risk patients for prolonged hospitalization. Furthermore, the relationship between NWL and ICU-LOS allows the early identification of these patients with the use of an independent nursing tool.