ED Nursing 2008-02-01

Most ED nurses lack lifesaving pediatric equipment and training

When a 2-year-old girl came to the Emergency Center at Carondelet St. Mary's Hospital in Tucson, AZ, with difficulty breathing and a bluish appearance, nurses set about preparing for an emergency tracheostomy to save the child's life. Suddenly, they determined a key piece of equipment was missing. Read More

Pediatric Corner: Don't delay epinephrine for anaphylactic shock cases

A 6-year-old girl comes to your ED with wheezing and lethargy. Emergency medical services (EMS) reports a previous history of asthma. What would you suspect? Read More

ED sepsis interventions dramatically cut deaths

Immediately after a 70-year-old man presented with fever, tachycardia, low blood pressure and abdominal pain, ED nurses gave acetaminophen, started two large-bore intravenous (IV) lines of normal saline infusing wide open, obtained all blood work including cultures and lactate, obtained a portable chest X-ray and electrocardiogram, and administered antibiotics with lab results pending. Read More

Use proven strategies for MRSA in your ED

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections have made headlines recently, and EDs are being hit hard. Read More

Some ED seizure patients should get immediate CT

If a seizure patient comes to your ED, one of the first questions you need answered is "What diagnostic testing is needed?" Read More

Ultrasound can tell you if a child is dehydrated

Using ultrasound at the patient's bedside is a noninvasive way to diagnose intravascular volume depletion in children with gastroenteritis, says a new study. Read More

Don't rely on BNP levels to detect CHF for trauma

B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), a neurohormone secreted by the heart in response to fluid overload, has been shown to be elevated in medical patients with left ventricular dysfunction, which speeds diagnosis of congestive heart failure (CHF) patients. But can it also detect CHF in critically ill trauma patients? Read More

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February 1, 2008

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