American journal of critical care : an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Evaluation of a system for intragastric pH monitoring of intensive care unit patients: preliminary report.
A new pH probe-tipped nasogastric sump tube is available to monitor gastric pH conveniently. This study assesses its ability to measure gastric acidity accurately. ⋯ The GrapHprobe ST measured gastric pH within reasonable accuracy in this small series.
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The intensive care unit is set apart from other hospital patient care areas by (1) physiological instrumentation that permits better assessment and more effective therapy and (2) more intensive nursing. These capabilities allow nurse and physician intensivists to evaluate tissue perfusion and tissue oxygenation by the temporal patterns of oxygen delivery and oxygen consumption, as well as hemodynamics. ⋯ Using artificial intelligence-based systems, complex clinical algorithms--tailored to specific patient conditions--have been developed and are described. These algorithms are based on both invasive and noninvasive monitoring systems and on clinical experience with a large series of high-risk surgical patients.
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Critical care, as a specialty in both nursing and medicine, is well recognized and the number of people requiring hospitalization for critical illnesses continues to increase. The purpose of this paper is to examine the future and the changes that lie ahead in critical care. ⋯ A variety of changes in critical care are anticipated that reflect our increasing abilities in biotechnology, basic and clinical research, and data management. These changes are viewed for their obvious impact on cost, ethical controversies, and patient care and outcome.
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Historical Article
New nurses, new spaces: a preview of the AACN History Study.
This article previews selected findings of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses History Project that is being conducted under the auspices of the Center for the Study of the History of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania. Using methods of social history research, we reviewed pertinent literature, studied documents of institutions and organizations, and interviewed a broad array of participants. ⋯ We explored the effects of changing public and professional ideas about the nature of critical illness, the effects of technology, and the historical dimensions of critical care nursing. Special attention was given to the events and circumstances that led to the development of AACN and the reciprocal relationships between AACN and the care of critically ill people.