AACN clinical issues
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AACN clinical issues · Jul 2005
ReviewManagement options for angina refractory to maximal medical and surgical interventions.
Despite the seemingly daily advances in the primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention for coronary artery disease, many patients will ultimately experience progression of their disease and experience angina refractory to further active treatment. In these patients, disabling angina occurs at rest or during simple activities of daily living. When this occurs, symptom management, a predominant focus of nursing, becomes the goal of care. ⋯ Other methods to control the pain are techniques that alter pain perception such as spinal opioids, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, and spinal cord stimulation. Too few patients with refractory angina are referred for any of these palliative therapies. Armed with knowledge regarding these therapies, nurses will be better prepared to provide anticipatory guidance to patients and their families and to support the patient's hope for relief as they cope with this devastating condition.
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AACN clinical issues · Jul 2005
Nurse practitioners in pediatric critical care: results of a national survey.
The nurse practitioner in pediatric critical care is a distinct advanced practice nursing role that has seen a tremendous increase in development and implementation over the past 10 years. There is a paucity of literature on this unique and valuable role. A total of 74 nurse practitioners practicing in pediatric critical care were surveyed. ⋯ Part II of the questionnaire addressed skill level and need for supervision for technical procedures and leadership activities. These respondents described expert or proficient skill levels for the majority of technical procedures (ie, lumbar puncture, central line placement) and leadership activities (ie, discharge planning, participation in medical rounds). This is the first published report to delineate the role of the nurse practitioner in pediatric critical care based on responses from a national survey.
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AACN clinical issues · Jul 2005
ReviewSurgery-induced immunosuppression and postoperative pain management.
Surgery is well-known to result in the suppression of some immune functions; however, the role of perioperative pain has only recently been studied. Pain-relieving anesthesia techniques and perioperative analgesia provide some protection against surgery-induced immune suppression and infectious surgical sequelae, although few studies also assess postoperative pain. ⋯ There is strong evidence in animals that pain-relieving interventions significantly reduce the tumor-enhancing effects of undergoing and recovering from surgery. It cannot be assumed that animal findings are directly applicable to the human condition; however, if such relationships hold in humans, perioperative pain management becomes an important strategy for reducing postoperative sequelae.
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AACN clinical issues · Apr 2005
ReviewHyperosmolar therapy in the treatment of severe head injury in children: mannitol and hypertonic saline.
Traumatic brain injury is the result of a primary, acute injury and is complicated by the development of secondary injury due to hypotension and hypoxia. Cerebral edema due to brain injury compromises the delivery of essential nutrients and alters normal intracranial pressure. The Monroe-Kellie Doctrine defines the principles of intracranial pressure homeostasis. ⋯ These guidelines offer recommendations for the management of children with severe head injury, including the use of mannitol and hypertonic saline to treat intracranial hypertension. Acute and critical care pediatric advanced practice nurses caring for children with severe head injury should be familiar with management guidelines and the use of hyperosmolar solutions. The purpose of this article is to assist the advanced practice nurse in understanding the role of hyperosmolar therapy in the treatment of pediatric traumatic brain injury and review current guidelines for the use of mannitol and hypertonic saline.
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AACN clinical issues · Apr 2005
Review Case ReportsOncological emergencies in the pediatric intensive care unit.
The overall 5-year survival rate of children with cancer has now reached 77%, an increase of about 45% in the past 25 years. Newer therapies, including hematopoietic cell transplantation and cutting edge chemotherapeutics evolving in the form of molecular and biological cell targeted agents, are being researched and developed and are responsible for the change in survival rates over time. ⋯ These trends are changing, however, currently leaving a hopeful, optimistic view of the outcome in children with cancer complications admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit. It is imperative that nurses and intensive care staff understand pediatric cancer and its potential emergent consequences in order to respond to the symptoms of life threatening events.