Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
During renal replacement therapy, the patient’s blood is purified by circulating it through an extracorporeal circuit containing a hemodialyzer, consisting of about 10,000 semipermeable capillary fibers.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
Intermittent hemodialysis is a very efficient dialysis technique performed during a 3- to 4-hour period. While on the other hand, continuous renal replacement therapy is less efficient and is performed 24 hours a day.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication in critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit. Epidemiologic data suggest that over 50% of ICU patients suffer from AKI, and up to 13.5% are treated with renal replacement therapy.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
Mechanical ventilation complications include lung injury, cardiac compromise, oxygen toxicity and patient discomfort. Applying support requires trade-offs as clinicians attempt to balance gas exchange needs with the risk of complications.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
The major goals of mechanical ventilation with positive pressure are to unload the ventilatory muscles and to optimize ventilation-perfusion matching so as to ensure adequate pulmonary gas exchange.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
Positive-pressure mechanical ventilatory support is an essential component in the life support of patients with respiratory failure. However, it is important to note that this technology is supportive, not therapeutic, and it cannot cure lung injury.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
Mechanically ventilated patients are at an increased risk of pulmonary infections. One reason is that the ICU environment, with its heavy antibiotic use and sick patients, heightens the risk for infections, often from antibiotic-resistant organisms.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
Mechanically ventilated patients are at an increased risk of pulmonary infections. One reason is that the endotracheal tube impairs the cough reflex and in itself serves as a potential portal for pathogens to enter the lungs.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
Mechanically ventilated patients are at an increased risk of pulmonary infections. The natural protective mechanism of glottic closure is compromised, permitting continuous low-grade seepage of oropharyngeal material into the airways.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
In mechanical ventilation, managing dyssynchronies can be challenging. Careful adjustments of flow magnitude, timing and patterns (especially the use of pressure-targeted, variable-flow breaths) may help optimize flow and cycle synchrony.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
In mechanical ventilation, subtle dyssynchronies are of little clinical relevance. However, significant dyssynchronies that produce severe patient discomfort are frequently cited as indications for sedation administration in intensive care units.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
In mechanical ventilation, cycle dyssynchrony occurs when the breath cycling is inappropriately short or long for the duration of effort. Dyssynchronous patients will have unnecessary loads placed on their respiratory muscles.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
In mechanical ventilation, flow dyssynchrony occurs when the ventilator’s flow delivery algorithm is not well matched to the patient's effort and is more likely to occur during fixed-flow breaths (flow targeted).

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
In mechanical ventilation, premature triggering (double triggering) may be derived from circuit motion artifacts, premature breath cycling or the recently described “reverse” triggering observed during controlled breaths.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

Category: Critical Care Nursing 
Patients can interact with all three phases of an assisted breath: (1) trigger, (2) flow delivery and (3) cycle. Triggering dyssynchronies can be attributed to insensitive or unresponsive triggering mechanisms or intrinsic PEEP.