Critical care nurse
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Critical care nurse · Dec 2021
Favorable Outcomes After Implementing a Nurse-Driven Sedation Protocol.
In patients receiving mechanical ventilation, prolonged exposure to sedative and analgesic medications contributes to negative clinical outcomes. ⋯ These preliminary data suggest that implementation of a nurse-driven sedation protocol resulted in favorable outcomes by decreasing duration of mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit length of stay, and duration of continuous sedation and increasing the number of spontaneous awakening trials performed.
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Critical care nurse · Dec 2021
ReviewAn Evidence-Based Protocol for Manual Prone Positioning of Patients With ARDS.
Manual prone positioning has been shown to reduce mortality among patients with moderate to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome, but it is associated with a high incidence of pressure injuries and unplanned extubations. This study investigated the feasibility of safely implementing a manual prone positioning protocol that uses a dedicated device. ⋯ Implementing a prone positioning protocol with a dedicated device is feasible, with fewer complications and lower costs than anticipated.
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Critical care nurse · Dec 2021
ReviewUnderstanding Disorders of Consciousness: Opportunities for Critical Care Nurses.
Disorders of consciousness are powerful predictors of outcomes including mortality among critically ill patients. Encephalopathy, delirium, and coma are disorders of consciousness frequently encountered by critical care nurses but often classified incorrectly. ⋯ Paying close attention to neurological changes and monitoring them with standardized assessments are critical to implementing early measures to prevent complications.