American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
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The theory of posttraumatic growth arose from accounts of various trauma survivors experiencing not only distress but also growth and change. An intensive care unit admission is an unplanned, sudden, and traumatic experience, and many survivors have posttraumatic stress that can lead to posttraumatic stress disorder. Survivors leave the intensive care unit with new functional impairments that drive depression, and they frequently experience anxiety. ⋯ Health care professionals, specifically nurses, can incorporate practices into their care during and after the intensive care unit stay that encourage understanding and positive accommodation of new difficulties brought on by the intensive care unit hospitalization to support survivor growth. Opportunities for research include incorporating posttraumatic growth assessments into post-intensive care unit clinics, self-help materials, and various programs or therapies. Outcomes associated with posttraumatic growth are listed to suggest directions for research questions concerning posttraumatic growth in intensive care unit survivors.
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Bedside methods to verify placement of a feeding tube are not accurate for detecting placement within the gastrointestinal tract, increasing risk of pulmonary aspiration. Current guidelines recommend verifying placement every 4 hours, yet the rationale for this recommendation is unknown. ⋯ No tubes migrated retrograde into the stomach or esophagus, challenging the practice of verifying placement every 4 hours. Verification every 24 hours may be adequate if migration is not suspected. Also, lack of visible anatomical structures on insertion tracings from an electromagnetic placement device make subtle changes in postpyloric placement difficult to identify accurately.
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A recent randomized trial of bereaved family members of patients who died in an intensive care unit identified symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress in recipients of semistructured condolence letters. ⋯ Inviting clinicians who cared for deceased patients to offer personalized, handwritten condolences to bereaved family members may cultivate sincere and individualized expressions of sympathy that bereaved families appreciate after the death of patients involved in the 3 Wishes Project.
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Major psychiatric disorders such as major depression and schizophrenia interfere with patients' life activities and ability to function. These disorders correlate with a higher prevalence of medical and psychiatric comorbidities. ⋯ Psychiatric patients' admission rate to the intensive care unit was significantly higher than their admission rate to other departments. Their intensive care unit stays were also longer, which may increase resource use.