What seems like a simple pulled muscle to a shipping clerk turns out to be cauda equina syndrome, a potentially paralyzing injury that warrants immediate surgery.
When a patient begins to vomit bright red blood, a nurse relies on his knowledge of Mallory-Weiss tears-and the adroit interventions of the rapid response team.
Three yellow balloons danced through the air, hovering over the finish line after being released by the bomb blast that brought the 2013 Boston Marathon to a catastrophic…
Three-year-old Christy* has been in the hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) since birth, when she was diagnosed with McCune-Albright syndrome and multiple other conditions that left her…
Do you routinely instill normal saline solution into endotracheal tubes before suctioning? Use only the Glasgow Coma Scale for neurologic assessment? Evidence on these and other sacred cows…
Coffee drinkers are less likely to be hospitalized for cardiac arrhythmias, according to a report presented at the American Heart Association’s 50th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology…
Dog bites can cause serious or even fatal injuries. Find out how to assess and intervene when your patient has been bitten. This content is for Digital Access…
When a dehydrated patient falls into a stupor and her vital signs head south, a rapid response team can help unit nurses stabilize her quickly – and avoid…
Pulmonary embolism (PE) kills about 25% of those it strikes. This article explains how deep vein thrombosis (DVT) sets the stage for PE and describes how to assess,…
Pulmonary embolism (PE) kills about 25% of those it strikes. This article explains how deep vein thrombosis (DVT) sets the stage for PE and describes how to assess,…
A patient who collapsed at home arrives at the hospital with a blood glucose level off the charts, plus extreme thirst and polyuria. Think his diagnosis is cut…
Thousands of accidental chemical spills and leaks take place in this country each year. Providing nurses with adequate first-receiver training can help ensure that we can care for…
Assessing the neurologic status of unconscious or comatose patients can be a challenge because they can’t cooperate actively with your examination. But once you become proficient in performing…
Tim Waters, age 28, is admitted to a burn intensive care unit for treatment after a natural gas explosion in his home causes deep partial- and full-thickness burns…
The elevator’s walls were covered in bronze and silver raised metal squares that gave the appearance of a magic eye puzzle and smelled of the stainless steel cleaner…
Recently I had the opportunity to provide nursing services after an earthquake disaster in the Caribbean. In this article, I share my insights gained from that trip, service…
I have been a critical care nurse since 2008. In our unit, patients have call lights, and of course, patients and families want them answered immediately. My practice…
When excessive blood loss during delivery threatens a mother’s life, quick assessment, effective interventions, and expert aid from the rapid response team maneuver her postpartum course back onto…
A study in JAMA found that patients with chronic diseases who are admitted to the hospital are at increased risk for unintentional discontinuation of their medications. The problem…
More than 500,000 people die in American intensive care units (ICUs) every year. And many of the deaths occur after the patient or family makes the difficult decision…
The author explains not the Newborn Scale of Sepsis she developed helps nurses quantify the clinical signs and laboratory markers of severe bacterial infection.
Oversight not needed As a recent graduate of a nurse practitioner (NP) program, I appreciated your article “Retail-based clinics: New option for nurses” in the March issue. You…
Patients with stable chronic heart failure may suddenly start decompensating. Do you know how to recognize this condition and help avert organ failure?
Once treated only in high-acuity settings, patients with chest tubes now receive care in inpatient medical-surgical floors, outpatient procedural areas (such as interventional radiology), and other settings. More…
Note: This article was written before Kenneth graduated from nursing school. My first experience in an emergency department (ED) setting happened last week at Frankfort Regional Medical Center…
Creating a critical-care resource nurse role has helped one hospital ensure that critically ill patients get the same level of care no matter where they’re admitted.
A patient complains of bloating, abdominal tenderness, and constipation. Nothing unusual? Maybe. But if you’re too quick to dismiss these symptoms, you could be overlooking a serious condition called…
Standard of care in the ICU – or object of overuse, abuse, and misuse? The authors explain why they believe PA catheter use may harm more critically ill…
Despite recent gains in treating pulmonary arterial hypertension, a cure is a long way off. Diagnosis and therapy can be tricky, and prognosis remains poor. Still, there are…
A recent stroke, a history of hypertension and renal disease, and a sudden surge in blood pressure alert caregivers to a patient’s hypertensive urgency.
Rodney, age 47, was admitted to the hospital 2 days ago with rib and femur fractures and facial contusions. He appears well nourished and well groomed.
I.V. fluids should help a dehydrated patient, but for one with a history of atrial fibrillation and coronary artery disease, they could contribute to pulmonary edema. For Grace…
What is the Emergency Nurses Association? The Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), an ANA organizational affiliate, is devoted to safe practice and safe care in emergency nursing. It was…
Which of the following does not help address issues related to post-intensive care syndrome? a. Diaries kept jointly by family, ICU staff, and physicians b. Post-ICU clinics for…
Four in 10 victims die immediately. For those who make it to the ED alive, survival hinges on the healthcare team’s ability to promptly recognize aortic dissection.
Children are people with small hearts and big emotions that often come from the people around them, particularly family members. As a pediatric nurse and mother of two…
Experts say registered nurses who work in hospital emergency departments are at greater risk of violence from patients than nurses in other specialties.
Clifton Jones, an African-American male aged 59, comes to the emergency department (ED) complaining of headache and blurred vision. After the triage nurse measures his blood pressure (BP)…
While hiking, Paul Sawyer, age 31, is bitten twice on the right hand by a rattlesnake. When he arrives at the emergency department (ED), the team obtains STAT…
When a patient shows signs of systemic inflammatory response syndrome, her survival hinges on the nurse’s expert assessment skills and the clinical team’s swift interventions.
Adrienne Johnson, age 5, is admitted to the general pediatric unit. She has sickle cell anemia (hemoglobin SS subtype) and recently was discharged after being hospitalized for acute…
A study in the Annals of Emergency Medicine found dramatic increases in children requiring medical intervention in states that decriminalized marijuana, although the overall number of unintentional marijuana…
According to a recent study, from 2005 to 2010, the national number of pedestrians struck and killed by distracted drivers increased from 344 to 500, an almost 50%…
A study in the American Journal of Critical Care found that transferring patients out of the ICU before or later an optimal time window increased mortality. Read more.
Any athlete with concussion symptoms should not be allowed to return to play on the same day, according to the latest consensus statement on sports-related concussion summarized in…
CDC recommends HIV screening for everyone New recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) call for routine human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) screening for all patients…
Previous pneumonia vaccination reduces ICU admissions Among adults hospitalized for pneumonia, those who’ve been vaccinated against the disease are less likely than unvaccinated patients to require admission to…
On-line video-based course on emergency preparedness The need for better coordination between governmental agencies and hospitals became apparent after 9/11 and again after Hurricane Katrina. To fill this…
Sleep doesn’t come easily for ICU patients. Many suffer chronic sleep deprivation, which can raise stress levels, depress immune responses, and impair wound healing. To help them sleep, some…
Women are up to 83% more likely to experience repeat abuse by their male partners if a weapon is used in the initial abuse incident, according to study…
Child-abuse cases can be the mot difficult ones for nurses to cope with. But with the right knowledge and tools, you can care for abused children more effectively.
In the midst of unprecedented change in health care, hospitals and emergency departments (EDs) are attempting the impossible — increase both patient volume and satisfaction without increasing the…
We may not realize it, but most nurses have frequent contact with domestic abuse victims. Shame and fear of reprisal keep many victims from reporting the problem. Caregivers’…
Continuous pulse oximetry monitoring immediately alerts clinicians to hypoxemia in unstable critically ill patients, so they can intervene before tissue hyposia sets in. This content is for Digital…
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