American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
-
Sepsis alerts commonly used for intensive care unit (ICU) patients can lead to alert fatigue because these patients generally meet 1 or more of the criteria for systemic inflammatory response syndrome. To identify ICU patients at greatest risk for sepsis-related consequences, an ICU-specific sepsis alert was implemented. ⋯ An ICU sepsis alert using modified systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria was effective for identifying sepsis in critically ill medical patients.
-
It remains poorly understood why only some hemodynamically unstable patients who receive aggressive treatment with vasopressor medications develop limb necrosis. ⋯ The findings of this study suggest that medication-specific factors, rather than patient and disease characteristics, should guide clinical management of necrosis in the setting of vasopressor administration.
-
Family members and close friends of patients undergoing mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit (ICU) often experience stress and a sense of helplessness. Participating in the care of their loved one may improve their adaptation to the ICU environment and better prepare them for caregiving after discharge. ⋯ Further testing of the FWCS is needed. After refinement, the FWCS could be used to evaluate factors contributing to caregiving willingness of family members of ICU patients and advance the science related to family engagement in the ICU. Additionally, it could be used as a practical tool to suggest family caregiving activities in the ICU.
-
Sound levels in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) are often above recommended levels, but few researchers have identified the sound sources contributing to high levels. ⋯ Clinicians should partner with families to limit nighttime PICU noise pollution. Large-scale studies using this reliable coding scheme are needed to understand the PICU sound environment.