Journal of post anesthesia nursing
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The purpose of this study was to identify documented interdependent and independent nursing interventions to prevent or relieve nausea and vomiting during the first 24 hours following uncomplicated cholecystectomy. A systematic sampling method was used to select 40 hospital records from 1986 to 1988. Results showed that nausea and vomiting was documented in only two PACU records and nine postoperative nursing unit records. ⋯ Lack of interventions may be due to a fear of potentiating the anesthesia or belief that symptoms would subside with time. Documented interventions included repositioning patients (independent) and administering medications (interdependent). This study illustrates the need for education about nurses' responsibility to prevent or relieve postoperative nausea and vomiting and the importance in documenting the interventions used.
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It has been the purpose of this article to discuss the pharmacology and physiology of local anesthetics. By having an understanding of local anesthetics at this level, the PACU nurse should have a better understanding of the consequences of employing local anesthetics in regional anesthesia.
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Based on the content of this article, the reader should be able to (1) identify the action of succinylcholine; (2) list drugs that potentiate the effects of succinylcholine; (3) identify the conditions that potentiate the effects of succinylcholine; (4) name conditions in which succinylcholine is contraindicated; (5) state the laboratory test for determining various genotypes of plasma cholinesterase; and (6) identify the classic clinical tests for determining return of muscle tone.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Rewarming postoperative patients: lights, blankets, or forced warm air.
This study was designed to determine if the forced warm air system is more effective than warmed cotton blankets or radiant heat lamps for rewarming postoperative patients. PACU admission temperatures were taken on 370 adult patients. The study population of 90 patients with admission temperatures of 35 degrees C (95 degrees F) or less was randomly assigned to one of three intervention groups: (b) warmed cotton blankets, (L) radiant heat lamps, or (A) forced warm air. ⋯ The mean rewarming times for patients who shivered were similar for all groups. For those patients who did not shiver, those treated with forced warm air rewarmed significantly faster than patients in the other groups. Nonshivering patients treated with forced warm air were ready for discharge somewhat sooner than those treated with either of the other two interventions.