Journal of trauma nursing : the official journal of the Society of Trauma Nurses
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To identify the scope, context, and impact on patient and health service outcomes of the specialist trauma nurse. Integrative review with data sourced from CINAHL, OvidSP, Scopus, and hand searching of references. ⋯ This international review shows a widely varied scope and context of practice with positive impacts on patient and health service outcomes. Further research and exploration are recommended to develop a consistent model of care and further ascertain the benefits of the specialist trauma nurse role.
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Comparative Study
Risk factors for ventilator-associated pneumonia: among trauma patients with and without brain injury.
Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) rates remain highest among trauma and brain injured patients; yet, no research compares VAP risk factors between the 2 groups. This retrospective, case-controlled study identified risk factors for VAP among critically ill trauma patients with and without brain injury. Data were abstracted on trauma patients with (cases) and without (controls) brain injury. ⋯ Trauma patients with brain injury had more emergent and field intubations. Age was strongest predictor of VAP in cases, and ventilator days predicted VAP in controls. Trauma patients with brain injury may be at higher risk for VAP.
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Bedside surgical procedures such as percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) placement in ICU settings are widely accepted; however, these procedures often require the addition of bulky equipment into the patient's room, which consumes valuable space and restrict workflow. A practice modification was developed in our trauma program, which reduces clutter in the patient's room, streamlines workflow, and results in better patient care and teaching. Simple and cost-effective, this has become the standard in our trauma center and could be of benefit to other institutions as well.