Fast Facts for the Critical Care Nurse: Critical Care Nursing in a Nutshell

286 Pages·2011·1.516 MB·English

by  Michele Angell Landrum ADN RN CCRN

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nurses contains critical knowledge presented in the clear, precise, “Fact Facts” F CritiCal
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equipment used by ICU nurses daily as well as on a less frequent basis. t
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It facilitates equipment mastery for respiratory and cardiac care along with h
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troubleshooting tips for monitoring and mechanical devices. Also included is
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information on specific types of critical care units, such as cardiac, surgical,
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neuro, and the burn unit. Documentation, advance directives, organ donations, i
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palliative and end-of-life care are also discussed. i
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The resource addresses the requirements of The Joint Commission and recom-
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mendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, such as isolation C
precautions and use of personal protective equipment. Other important informa- a
tion is provided such as normal hemodynamic measurements, basic electrocar- r
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diographic (EKG) rhythms, 12-lead EKG electrode placement, and a “Do Not Use”
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abbreviation list in the appendix that will help prevent medication errors.
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Key Features: e
Care
• Provides quick access to information needed on a daily basis
Nursing
• Covers equipment, medications, procedures, and specialty care
• I ncludes reliable data for basic EKG rhythms, abbreviations, expected in a
treatments and patient care, and troubleshooting tips
Nutshell
• Targeted to new ICU nurses, and experienced critical care nurses alike
• H elps nurses quickly access information with the “Fast Facts in a
Nutshell” feature
Michele Angell Landrum
11 W. 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036-8002
www.springerpub.com
Fast Facts For the
critical care Nurse
critical care Nursing
in a Nutshell
Michele Angell Landrum, ADN, RN, CCRN, received her asso-
ciate degree in nursing from the University of Mobile in 1998.
She has worked as a travel nurse in various facilities throughout
the United States, such as Scripps Memorial Hospital, La Jolla in
San Diego and Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. Her spe-
cialties include the cardiac care unit, cardiovascular intensive
care unit, surgical intensive care unit, emergency room, cardiac
catheterization lab, and electrophysiology lab.
Mrs. Landrum is currently employed by Springhill Medical
Center in Mobile, Alabama, as a clinical nurse educator with the
staff development department.
Fast Facts For the
critical care Nurse
critical care Nursing
in a Nutshell
Michele Angell Landrum, ADN, RN, CCRN
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Composition: Newgen Imaging
ISBN: 978-0-8261-0728-1
eISBN: 978-0-8261-0729-X
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This book is dedicated to my husband Ted for his continued
love, support, and encouragement, and also to my sons
Carter and Cody, for it is their love, joy, patience, and
understanding that makes every day a blessing.
—M.A.L.

contents
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xi
Part I: Foundations of Critical Care
1. Critical Care Nursing Overview 3
2. The Importance of Documentation 11
3. Advance Directives and Organ Donation 19
4. Withdrawal of Treatment and Palliative Care 27
Part II: Critical Care Basics
5. Basic Patient Care in the Critical Care Setting 39
6. Patient Nutrition 57
7. The Sterile Field, Pre-procedural Patient
Preparation, and Conscious Sedation 71
8. Isolation Precautions and Personal
Protective Equipment 83
9. Everything IV 95
Part III: Critical Care Equipment Competencies
10. The Respiratory Station 113
vii
viii contents
11. Arterial Blood Gases, Arterial Lines, and
Pulmonary Artery Catheters 133
12. Discussing Dialysis and Continuous Renal
Replacement Therapy 147
13. Cardiac Specialty Equipment 159
Part IV: The Specialty Critical Care Unit
14. Surgical and Orthopedic Recovery Guidelines 179
15. The Neuro ICU 193
16. G eneral Cardiac Care and Post-Coronary-
Artery-Bypass-Graft Patients 205
17. Transplant Patients 217
18. Burn Unit Basics 227
Appendix A: “Do Not Use” List for Abbreviations,
Acronyms, and Symbols 235
Appendix B: Basic EKG Rhythm Examples 237
Appendix C: 12 Lead EKG Electrode Placement 242
Appendix D: Normal Hemodynamic Values and
Vital Signs 243
Appendix E: List of Abbreviations 245
References 249
Index 259
Preface
Critical care nursing is one of the most challenging nurs-
ing options available. It requires astute assessment skills,
extremely specialized training, the ability to multitask,
adaptability, top-notch communication skills, attention to
detail while seeing the big picture, positive coping tech-
niques, and numerous other traits. This guide is intended to
help make practicing as a critical care nurse a little easier.
The guide is designed to work as an assistant. It includes
guidelines for documentation, advance directives, organ
donation, withdrawal of treatment, and palliative care.
Basic assessment and procedural skills are detailed, along
with more in-depth acute care practices, such as managing
an intra-aortic balloon pump. Aseptic technique, isolation
precautions, IV therapy, central venous line and pulmonary
artery catheter care, and continuous renal replacement ther-
apy are explained in an easy-to-read manner. Applications
pertaining to individual ICUs are also included.
Several of the topics in this guide apply to current nurs-
ing concerns nationwide. Joint Commission topics such as
proper patient identification are discussed. Isolation precau-
tions and personal protective equipment applications recom-
mended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
are detailed, and information about performing palliative
care in the ICU is provided.
ix