Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
Initiation of targeted temperature management should be started as soon as possible, in particular after cardiac arrest, and maintained for a minimum period of 24 hours or longer, according to the underlying disease.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
A rise in intracranial pressure often results in a decrease in cerebral perfusion pressure, coupled with disturbed autoregulation of the cerebrovascular system, and this can lead to ischemic damage and thus worsen prognosis.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
Increased intracranial pressure is a common complication of traumatic brain injury because of the mass effect of the hemorrhage, the edema accompanying the blood-brain barrier disruption and disturbed cerebrospinal fluid drainage.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
Target temperature management can slow bowel and gastric function, promoting ileus and delayed gastric emptying, which in turn must not be considered a contraindication to nasogastric feeding when indicated.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
In target temperature management, hyperglycemia, caused by decreased insulin sensitivity occurring during hypothermia, is common particularly in the induction phase and is associated with poor neurologic outcome.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
Hypothermia can induce electrolyte abnormalities and increase the sensitivity to them. Specifically, potassium, magnesium and phosphate depletion could cause serious adverse effects, including life-threatening arrhythmias.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
Platelet count and function appear to be decreased when core temperature decreases below 35°C, whereas coagulation appears to be affected significantly only for temperatures below 33°C.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
The induction of hypothermia can induce some cardiovascular alterations, including an increase in cardiac systolic function associated with a mild impairment in diastolic function despite a reduction in heart rate.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
Shivering is the physiologic attempt to restore core temperature by causing an increase in heat production by involuntary movements, but also determines increase in work of breathing, heart rate and myocardial oxygen consumption.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
The first effect triggered by the temperature drop is the appearance of shivering, which generally manifests as the core temperature becomes lower than 35.5°C. That is, one degree below the vasoconstriction threshold.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
When the brain temperature is reduced, its metabolic rate slows down by 6%-10% for each degree, thereby diminishing oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production and the reperfusion injury.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
Hypothermia is defined as a core body temperature lower than 36°C. Within hypothermia, there is mild (between 35-32°C), moderate (between 32-28°C), severe (between 28-24°C) and profound (less than 24°C) hypothermia.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
Target temperature management includes the use of induced hypothermia (i.e., cooling procedures initiated to provide brain and/or organ protection) with active temperature control after hypothermia over a defined period.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
Standard peritoneal dialysis solutions do not contain potassium, but because solute removal is slower during peritoneal dialysis, it may take a one day of high-volume peritoneal dialysis to achieve serum potassium control.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
Unlike hemodialysis or continuous renal replacement therapy, ultrafiltration and clearance cannot be exactly predicted in peritoneal dialysis treatment. High-glucose containing peritoneal dialysis solutions can remove up to 1 liter in 4 hours.