American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
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Review Case Reports
Administering Polyethylene Glycol Electrolyte Solution Via a Nasogastric Tube: Pulmonary Complications.
Patients sometimes require insertion of a nasogastric tube for the administration of a large volume of a polyethylene glycol electrolyte solution. If the tube is malpositioned, the risk for direct instillation of the solution into the lung increases. The risk for aspiration also increases if the infusion rate exceeds gastrointestinal tolerance. ⋯ Relatively simple maneuvers to reduce the likelihood of adverse pulmonary events following the administration of large volumes of polyethylene glycol electrolyte solution via a nasogastric tube are well worth the cost and effort to protect patients from potential serious injury.
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Intracranial pressure is measured continuously, and nursing behaviors have been associated with variations in the measurements. ⋯ Studying nursing behaviors is feasible. Synchronizing and analyzing mutually exclusive and exhaustive behaviors indicated that nursing behaviors have an effect on patients' intracranial pressure.
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Comparative Study
Obesity Paradox: Comparison of Heart Failure Patients With and Without Comorbid Diabetes.
Diabetes is a common comorbid condition in patients with heart failure and is strongly associated with poor outcomes. Patients with heart failure who have diabetes are more likely to be obese than are those without diabetes. Obesity is positively associated with survival in patients with heart failure, but how comorbid diabetes influences the relationship between obesity and favorable prognosis is unclear. ⋯ Obesity was a survival benefit in heart failure patients without comorbid diabetes but not in those with comorbid diabetes. The mechanisms underlying the difference in the relationship between obesity and survival due to the presence of diabetes in patients with heart failure need to be elucidated.