{"title":"Toxicological Emergencies.","authors":"Syed Azharuddin, Osakpolor Ogbebor, Mareena Shuster, Bridget Smith, Hammad Arshad, Tariq Cheema","doi":"10.1097/CNQ.0000000000000439","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/CNQ.0000000000000439","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Poisoning, drug overdose, and adverse drug effects continue to be a common encounter, especially in the intensive care unit (ICU). Patients are often critically ill or have a potential to rapidly deteriorate and warrant ICU admission. Adults suffering from overdoses rarely give a complete and accurate description of the quantity or type of medications ingested. In most adult cases, multiple substances are involved. A tentative diagnosis in most overdose and poisoning cases can be made by physical examination and simple laboratory tests (electrolyte panel, creatinine, serum osmolarity, urinalysis, etc). Supportive care, with particular attention to airway management, oxygenation, and circulation, is the mainstay of treatment. Basic treatment principles include limiting the amount of toxin absorbed, enhancing the elimination of ingested toxin, and preventing the conversion of non-toxic compounds to toxic metabolites. Drugs or poisons, where specific antidotes or effective therapies exist (especially acetaminophen, salicylates, methanol, ethylene glycol, and digitalis), should be aggressively sought and treated after initial stabilization has been accomplished. For those drugs or poisons where specific quantitative tests are available, levels should be obtained before treatment and may be repeated as clinically indicated.</p>","PeriodicalId":10789,"journal":{"name":"Critical Care Nursing Quarterly","volume":"46 1","pages":"82-99"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10136411","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Neurological Emergencies in the Intensive Care Unit.","authors":"Osakpolor Ogbebor, Shahzaib Tariq, Tariq Jaber, Jamie Super, Nitin Bhanot, Sandeep Rana, Khalid Malik","doi":"10.1097/CNQ.0000000000000435","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/CNQ.0000000000000435","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Neurological emergencies carry significant morbidity and mortality, and it is necessary to have a multidisciplinary approach involving the emergency physician, the neurologist, the intensivist, and the critical care nursing staff. These disorders can be broadly divided into noninfectious and infectious etiologies. In this article, we review a few of the neurological emergencies that present to the neurological intensive unit, with emphasis on convulsive status epileptics, myasthenia gravis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, meningitis, encephalitis, and brain abscess.</p>","PeriodicalId":10789,"journal":{"name":"Critical Care Nursing Quarterly","volume":"46 1","pages":"17-34"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10190013","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kim Bartolowits, Lacee Morran, Alaina Eisenhooth, Taylor Criste
{"title":"Evidence-Based Approach to Decrease Incidence of Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries.","authors":"Kim Bartolowits, Lacee Morran, Alaina Eisenhooth, Taylor Criste","doi":"10.1097/CNQ.0000000000000423","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/CNQ.0000000000000423","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) are a painful and unwanted experience for the patient and cause unwanted additional costs to hospitals. Because HAPIs are a preventable occurrence, they are a nurse-sensitive indictor for national benchmarking when looking at quality and safety. Controlling the occurrence of HAPI in the hospital setting can be challenging for any nurse, but the difficulty is enhanced in the intensive care unit. This article discusses how a group of nurses from various areas of the hospital came together to heighten awareness of skin care and provided frontline education to peers. Through the use of structured programs using both a nationally known Wound Associate treatment program and Lean methodology, the nurses were able to work through processes and barriers and successfully decrease the incidence of HAPI in this academic medical center.</p>","PeriodicalId":10789,"journal":{"name":"Critical Care Nursing Quarterly","volume":"45 4","pages":"317-324"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2022-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10123827","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Future of Assessing Frailty in the Patient With Advanced Heart Failure: A Review of Current Literature.","authors":"Susan Leininger, Renee N Davis Micco","doi":"10.1097/CNQ.0000000000000428","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/CNQ.0000000000000428","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Frailty is becoming an important component of health care outcomes in patients with a diagnosis of heart failure. A literature search was completed to determine whether a best practice guideline existed to assess frailty in patients who were considering ventricular assist device placement. The literature search revealed that best practice guidelines did not exist. A second comprehensive literature search was completed specifically for frailty including the definition, criteria, assessment, and outcomes. The studies revealed that there were challenges with defining frailty, the age of frailty, assessments tools, and study designs. Cardiologists are primarily interested in screening for frailty, but other physician specialty practices are interested in a frailty screening tool as well. This article discusses the inconsistent research studies and the need for a valid and reliable tool to assess for frailty. It is important that nurse leaders and those working with heart failure patients determine the best practice guidelines for assessing frailty.</p>","PeriodicalId":10789,"journal":{"name":"Critical Care Nursing Quarterly","volume":"45 4","pages":"359-375"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2022-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10123831","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Susan Leininger, John Rinaldi, Frances Hite Philip, Edward L Birdsong
{"title":"Using an Institute Model to Reduce the Incidence of Venous Thromboembolism Within a Large Hospital System.","authors":"Susan Leininger, John Rinaldi, Frances Hite Philip, Edward L Birdsong","doi":"10.1097/CNQ.0000000000000422","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/CNQ.0000000000000422","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Internal benchmarking showed that the Orthopedic Institute had an above average rate of venous thromboembolism (VTE) along with other institutes. The Orthopedic VTE Quality Team was assigned to investigate opportunities for improvement to share with other institutes. To investigate the issues and barriers to the administration of chemical and mechanical VTE prophylaxis, data collection included real-time point prevalence study, physician and nursing surveys, and electronic medical record audits. The results of the data collection indicated inconsistencies in nursing and patient care. Therefore a VTE policy and VTE educational poster was developed. In conjunction, nursing education will be completed to describe the best practice for sequential compression devices and anticoagulant therapies and documentation. The physician will be notified for refusals on either mechanical or chemical prophylaxis.</p>","PeriodicalId":10789,"journal":{"name":"Critical Care Nursing Quarterly","volume":"45 4","pages":"307-316"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2022-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10123828","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Evolution of Palliative Medicine in Intensive Care.","authors":"Tara Orgon Stamper, Renee Kerr, Daniela Sporter","doi":"10.1097/CNQ.0000000000000425","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/CNQ.0000000000000425","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Supportive, or palliative, care has moved into medicine's mainstream with well-known and studied benefits but continues to be inadequately utilized in many health care environments particularly intensive care units (ICUs). With diverse patient populations in the various ICU settings, the supportive care team must adapt and mold their goals-of-care discussions and relationship building based on the ICU culture and individuals involved. Despite the differences in disease processes, early supportive care involvement in the ICU provides much needed emotional support and symptom management to patients and families in addition to identifying the patient's goals of care early in the hospital stay. The purpose of this article is to provide a general overview of the history of supportive care and clarify current misperceptions, particularly related to hospice, surrounding the specialty. The types of supportive care consults will be explained and their uses in the various ICU settings, and illustrate the advantage of early involvement to not only patients and families but the medical team as well.</p>","PeriodicalId":10789,"journal":{"name":"Critical Care Nursing Quarterly","volume":"45 4","pages":"332-338"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2022-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10123829","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lori Laux, Michelle McGonigal, Jason Yaglowski, Shawn Vietmeier
{"title":"Engaging the Front Line: A Case Study on Implementing Lean Methodology to Improve Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections.","authors":"Lori Laux, Michelle McGonigal, Jason Yaglowski, Shawn Vietmeier","doi":"10.1097/CNQ.0000000000000421","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/CNQ.0000000000000421","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Employee engagement is a key driver in achieving successful quality improvement initiatives. An important aspect of engagement is enabling the nursing staff to have a role in problem solving at the front line, thus improving productivity. Finding an appropriate methodology that resonates with the frontline staff can be challenging. This article discusses the use of the Lean Methodology to prevent central line-associated bloodstream infections in a large urban hospital. The case study provided will review an initial attempt at frontline problem solving using the Lean Methodology and a more successful strategy with the development of a nurse champion program.</p>","PeriodicalId":10789,"journal":{"name":"Critical Care Nursing Quarterly","volume":"45 4","pages":"300-306"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2022-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10130365","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Challenges of Managing Pain in the Intensive Care Unit.","authors":"Susan Leininger","doi":"10.1097/CNQ.0000000000000424","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/CNQ.0000000000000424","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Pain management in the intensive care unit can be challenging. It is important to assess and reassess the patient for pain using the appropriate pain assessment tool for the patient's condition. It is critical to use these tools for compliance to best practice recommendations by The Joint Commission, the Society of Critical Care Management, and the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. Critical care nurses need to know the types of pain and how everyday nursing care and procedures affect the patient's pain level. This article reviews the types and characteristics of pain, the best practice guidelines, and shares a pathway for the best management of a patient's pain.</p>","PeriodicalId":10789,"journal":{"name":"Critical Care Nursing Quarterly","volume":"45 4","pages":"325-331"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2022-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10123826","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Air-Assisted Technology: A Quality Endeavor to Reduce Employee Injury and Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries.","authors":"Cathy Stoddart","doi":"10.1097/CNQ.0000000000000426","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/CNQ.0000000000000426","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Continuous quality improvement using Lean methodology engages and values the expertise of the staff close to the patient and the everyday work of caring for them. The patients are not safe if the staff is not safe. Finding the appropriate methodology, where the problem is deeply investigated, respect is visible in the process, and evidence-based decision-making takes place to find safe patient handling solutions for moving lifting and transferring patients was a key objective in this Lean process improvement effort. This article describes the journey taken, the collaboration of 2-unit based councils, and the successful implementation of an air-assisted moving, lifting, and transferring system at a large level 1 quaternary tertiary intercity hospital.</p>","PeriodicalId":10789,"journal":{"name":"Critical Care Nursing Quarterly","volume":"45 4","pages":"339-351"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2022-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10123830","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}