Intensive Care of Rodents

The average rodent arriving at your surgery may be in a critical state. In the past, these children's pets often suffered neglect due to ignorance of their needs by owners and some veterinary surgeons. Nowadays, clients expect the same level of care for a rat or hamster as for a cat or dog     

Caring for the patient in the process of dying at the Intensive Care Unit

The objective of this study is to characterize how nursing care is performed at the ICU to patients with no possibility of cure. Ten nurses were interviewed. The field study was performed at the Intensive Care Unit of a public teaching hospital. For the nurses, there is no uniform pattern of care. Furthermore, according to their reports, it was observed that there is an overestimation of the technical care over the emotional, social and spiritual aspects. It was, however, observed that nurses are strongly with the suffering of the family in view of their loss. Results show that nurses must understand death as a part of the life cycle and review care as the essence of nursing, thus increasing the discussions on the issue in both the academic and daily practice environments.     

Culture Clash: Transitioning from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

The hospitalization of a child is one of the most traumatic episodes of parenthood. The fear, frustration, anger, and loss of control can be overwhelming to the parents of the critically ill child. Acute care hospitalizations such as those that occur in the neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) are especially distressing to every member of the family. Unfortunately, families subjected to both NICU and PICU admissions experience two distinctive cultures with very different philosophies and goals. In spite of the best intentions of health care providers, the obvious cultural differences between the NICU and PICU potentially aggravate the stress suffered by families. Unfortunately, most NICU and PICU staff members are unfamiliar with the contrasting cultures. Utilizing specific examples from Phoenix area facilities, the purpose of this article is to describe the many factors that shape and influence the NICU and PICU experience for families.     

Echocardiography in the Intensive Care Unit

Purpose of Review

This review provides an overview of the evidence for and current practices incorporating the use of echocardiography in the intensive care setting. We describe training and certification for critical care echocardiography and the use of echocardiography for the assessment of hemodynamics, fluid responsiveness, diagnosis of shock, procedural guidance, and cardiac arrest.

Recent Findings

Recent advances have been made in multiple aspects of critical care echocardiography, including training and certification, assessment of fluid responsiveness in spontaneously breathing patients, and evaluation of undifferentiated shock.

Summary

Echocardiography is increasingly used in the intensive care setting. Its applications and evidence base continue to expand. Randomized controlled trials are needed to demonstrate that the use of echocardiography improves patient outcomes.