Intensive & critical care nursing : the official journal of the British Association of Critical Care Nurses
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Intensive Crit Care Nurs · Apr 2000
Review Case ReportsOptimizing oxygen delivery: haemodynamic workshop. Part 3.
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Intensive Crit Care Nurs · Aug 1999
ReviewUse of the prone position in the management of acute respiratory distress syndrome.
The positioning of patients is usually within the domain of nursing practice, whether this is to achieve increased comfort or as a therapeutic intervention to avoid the occurrence of pressure sores. The use of the prone position to improve oxygenation, in the acute respiratory distress syndrome, has become increasingly popular in intensive care over the past decade (Thomas 1997). A systematic review was, therefore, undertaken to ascertain if the prone position did, in fact, improve oxygenation, leading to decreased mortality, or if the effects were merely transitory. ⋯ However, caution should be taken in applying these results to practice. First, the studies available for review demonstrated various methodological flaws. It is also apparent that untoward incidences associated with the prone position have yet to be investigated systematically.
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Intensive Crit Care Nurs · Dec 1998
ReviewInhaled nitric oxide: are the safety issues being addressed?
Interest in the therapeutic uses of Nitric Oxide (NO) has gathered pace over the last decade. It is no exaggeration for the UK Guidelines on the Use of Inhaled Nitric Oxide (Cuthbertson et al. 1997) to say that 'the use of inhaled nitric oxide in the UK has become commonplace'. ⋯ It also holds promise in the treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). It is in this context that this discussion will seek to raise fundamental questions about the health and safety aspects of this substance.
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Intensive Crit Care Nurs · Dec 1998
ReviewShould relatives of patients with cardiac arrest be invited to be present during cardiopulmonary resuscitation?
Witnessing the attempted resuscitation of a loved one is likely to be traumatic and distressing. However, because the majority of patients requiring cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) die, this raises the question, within the hospital environment, of whether relatives should be invited to be present. ⋯ With particular reference to the intensive care unit (ICU), the discussion in this paper includes not only family presence during CPR from the perspective of the patient, relatives and healthcare professionals, but also the potential legal implications. Recommendations for nursing practice are offered.
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Intensive Crit Care Nurs · Oct 1998
ReviewTo bag or not to bag? Manual hyperinflation in intensive care.
Manual hyperinflation or bagging is a physiotherapy technique commonly used on mechanically ventilated patients on intensive care. The way it is performed appears to vary widely, and in the past there has been little or no monitoring of what is actually happening during the technique in terms of what airway pressures and tidal volumes are being delivered to the patient. Conclusive evidence from large scientific studies of the benefits and side effects of manual hyperinflation are to date still lacking.