Dynamics (Pembroke, Ont.)
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Patient- and family-centred care (PFCC) concepts are increasingly cited in the critical care literature and are a welcome addition to the vernacular of the intensive care unit (ICU). The implementation and maintenance of a supportive PFCC environment is challenging, however, and usual strategies for knowledge translation using guidelines and policies, no matter how articulate, have not yet resulted in sustained practice change at the point of care delivery. In this article, co-authored by community partners, the physician director and nurse leader of one tertiary care ICU, we describe an initiative in which patient and family representatives were included in the ICU interdisciplinary team membership. After two years and now, at the conclusion of the assignment, options for community partner participation in various activities related to unit governance are shared.
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Dynamics (Pembroke, Ont.) · Jan 2007
ReviewNeuromuscular blocking agents: enhancing safety by reducing the risk of accidental administration.
Neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) are often found as ward stock in critical care units to ensure their availability in case of urgent need. The unintentional administration of an NMBA to a non-intubated and non-ventilated patient can result in severe permanent injury or death. Incidents involving mix-ups with NMBAs have occurred within and outside of critical care units. Case reports are highlighted with the intent to increase practitioner awareness of situations that could lead to similar errors and to promote changes in the critical care environment in order to enhance medication safety with NMBAs.
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The aim of resuscitation is to sustain life with intact neurological functioning and the same quality of life previously experienced by the patient. Advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) was designed to achieve this aim. However the requirement for ACLS training for critical care nurses working in Canadian critical care units is inconsistent across the country. ⋯ Using the search terms ACLS training, resuscitation, critical care, and nursing, two databases, CINAHL and MEDLINE, were used. The evidence supports the need for ACLS training for critical care nurses. The evidence also supports organized ongoing refresher courses, multidisciplinary mock code blue practice using technologically advanced simulator mannequins, and videotaped reviews to prevent knowledge and skill degradation for effective resuscitation efforts.
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Hypothermia can result from exposure to a cold environment (e.g., accidental drowning) or it can be induced and used as a brain protection strategy (e.g., therapeutic hypothermia). One common ECG presentation with hypothermia is the J wave, which is related to the altered cellular activities during hypothermia. A case study is used in this article to illustrate the presentation of a J wave with a patient experiencing hypothermia.