Heart & lung : the journal of critical care
-
Multicenter Study
Pain intensity and postoperative pulmonary complications among the elderly after abdominal surgery.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether postoperative pain intensity differs between elderly abdominal surgery patients in whom postoperative pulmonary complications (PPC) develop and those in whom they do not. ⋯ Results provide support for viewing pain as a factor that contributes to the development of PPCs among the elderly population after abdominal surgery. Therefore, nursing interventions of pain assessment and management, deep breathing, and ambulation may influence the incidence of this outcome.
-
To describe patients' and family members' perceptions of transfer from an intensive care unit (ICU). ⋯ Patients and family members perceived the transfer from the ICU as a significant and sometimes negative event.
-
Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Effects of endotracheal suctioning on mixed venous oxygen saturation and heart rate in critically ill adults.
The purpose of this multisite study was to determine the effects of endotracheal suctioning on mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO2) and heart rate in 189 critically ill adults. One-pass, intermittent suction was applied for 10 or fewer seconds, with three prehyperoxygenation and three posthyperoxygenation breaths of 100% oxygen. Subjects at three hospitals (n = 127) underwent suctioning using hyperoxygenation with anesthesia bags and traditional suction catheters (open suction method). ⋯ No significant differences were seen in heart rate between subjects having the open versus closed suction method. In conclusion, the closed suction method showed a higher SvO2 after endotracheal suctioning compared with the open suction method (p = 0.0001). Some form of hyperoxygenation before and after endotracheal suctioning is recommended.
-
Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Effects of a 1-minute back rub on mixed venous oxygen saturation and heart rate in critically ill patients.
In this study we evaluated mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO2) and heart rate responses after a 1-minute back rub in 173 critically ill patients. The back rub was the third and last intervention in a study conducted in intensive care units at four hospitals. For this multiple-intervention study all patients were placed in a supine position to obtain baseline SvO2 and heart rate, then underwent suctioning via endotracheal tube, and were turned to a lateral position. ⋯ Although the findings were statistically significant (p = 0.0001), these minimal physiologic changes do not represent clinical significance. Based on the findings, the back rub, a traditional nursing measure that can provide comforting touch, represented a minor stimulus affecting heart rate and oxygen demands in most critically ill patients. However, because of the variability found in heart rate and SvO2, individual responses need to be assessed.