Articles: intensive-care-units.
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J Burn Care Rehabil · Mar 1990
Practice Guideline GuidelineHospital and prehospital resources for optimal care of patients with burn injury: guidelines for development and operation of burn centers. American Burn Association.
Each year in the United States burn injuries result in more than 500,000 hospital emergency department visits and approximately 70,000 acute inpatient admissions. Most burn injuries are relatively minor, and patients are discharged following outpatient treatment at the medical facility where they are first seen. Of those patients with injuries serious enough to require hospitalization, about 20,000 are admitted directly or by referral to hospitals with special capabilities in the treatment of burn injury. Hospitals with these service capabilities are normally termed "burn centers." This document defines the system, organizational structure, personnel, program, and physical facilities involved in establishing the eligibility of hospitals with the capability of being identified as burn centers.
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We undertook a prospective study of 125 intrahospital patient transports from the ICU in an attempt to identify any factors that could influence the occurrence of mishaps. One third of the transports sustained at least one mishap. Therapeutic intervention scoring system class IV transports had the highest rate of mishaps (35%). ⋯ Morbidity and mortality were not affected by mishaps. Although certain trends did emerge, no clearly defined predictive factor could be identified. Further study into transport mishaps is warranted.
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A electrocardiogram (ECG) central station has been developed for the Intensive Care Unit at Christchurch Hospital. The system allows the selection and display of four ECGs selected from seven bedside monitors in the Unit. ⋯ The system comprises a control unit (based on an 8085 microprocessor) and a mobile ECG station (4-channel ECG monitor, ECG recorder and computer terminal). Over the three years since its installation, the central station has been used 24 hours a day by medical and nursing staff and has proven to be a valued and reliable instrument in an intensive care environment.
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Intensive care nursing · Mar 1990
A description of stressors and coping strategies among parents of critically ill children--a preliminary study.
The purpose of this preliminary study was to describe (1) perceived stressors and (2) coping strategies among parents of critically ill children. Stress and coping within this population has been subjected to little research. The research that has been reported is predominantly quantitative. ⋯ The findings of this study have highlighted deficiencies within the existing literature on stress and coping within this population. There is a need for further qualitative research in this area. This will foster the development of a better understanding of the experience of parents for caregivers and provide a foundation for further research.
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In 1983 our antibiotic regimen for suspected neonatal septicemia was changed from amoxicillin-gentamicin to cefotaxime-amoxicillin. During the subsequent 5-year period we studied the effect of this change in regimen on the bacterial flora of the infants in the unit and the occurrence of serious infections. This was done with bacteriologic surveillance and analysis of the positive blood cultures from 1978 through 1987. ⋯ The susceptibility of these bacteria to cefotaxime was 55.2% in 1983 and 55.0% in 1987. No change in susceptibilities to cefotaxime, amoxicillin or gentamicin was found in other pathogens. Although colonization with Enterobacter strains has increased and the susceptibility of these bacteria to the cephalosporins has decreased, the incidence of serious infections with Gram-negative bacteria decreased.