Subject(s)
Pain Management , Pain Measurement , Pain/classification , Program Development , Analgesics/therapeutic use , Data Collection , Health Education , Health Personnel/education , Health Personnel/organization & administration , Humans , Montana , Pain Measurement/methods , Pain Measurement/standardsABSTRACT
Collaboration between academia and practice settings has been cited frequently in the literature on baccalaureate nursing curriculum. This article applies the concept of collaboration to the development of a continuing educational program for practicing cardiovascular nurses.
Subject(s)
Cardiology/education , Cardiovascular Diseases/nursing , Education, Nursing, Continuing/organization & administration , Cooperative Behavior , Curriculum , Humans , Program DevelopmentSubject(s)
Angina, Unstable/therapy , Antibodies, Monoclonal/therapeutic use , Critical Care/methods , Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments/therapeutic use , Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors/therapeutic use , Abciximab , Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary , Antibodies, Monoclonal/pharmacology , Humans , Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments/pharmacology , Male , Middle Aged , Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors/pharmacologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Patients often have discomfort, especially back pain, after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty because they must stay relatively flat while the sheath remains in the femoral vessel after the procedure. Flexible sheaths are now available, allowing the head of the bed to be raised to 60 degrees during this period of bed rest. OBJECTIVE: We assessed comfort and the frequency of bleeding in patients who had undergone percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty and compared the findings between patients with a flexible sheath and patients with a standard sheath. METHODS: Patients were randomly assigned either a flexible sheath or a standard sheath during percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. Patients' comfort was assessed by administering a comfort questionnaire at two intervals after the procedure, and the frequency of bleeding was determined by reviewing the patients' charts. RESULTS: One hundred seven patients completed the questionnaire. The patients with a flexible sheath showed a significantly higher level of comfort than the patients with a standard sheath 5 hours after the procedure. Patients with a flexible sheath also received less pain medication than did patients with a standard sheath. The frequency of bleeding was comparable in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study support the use of a flexible sheath to increase patients' comfort after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty without increasing the frequency of bleeding.
Subject(s)
Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary/instrumentation , Hemorrhage/prevention & control , Patient Satisfaction , Postoperative Complications/prevention & control , Aged , Equipment Design , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Pliability , Postoperative Care , Surveys and QuestionnairesSubject(s)
Head Injuries, Closed/complications , Hematoma, Epidural, Cranial/diagnostic imaging , Tomography, X-Ray Computed , Brain/diagnostic imaging , Child , Contusions/diagnostic imaging , Contusions/etiology , Emergencies , Hematoma, Epidural, Cranial/etiology , Humans , Male , Skull Fractures/diagnostic imagingABSTRACT
A 71-year-old woman presented with altered level of consciousness following episodes of diarrhea and abdominal pain. Shigella sonnei was later cultured from her stool. Although neurological complications, primarily seizures, have been reported sequelae in children afflicted shigellosis, there are only rare cases of encephalopathy in affected adults. A brief discussion of the neurological complications of Shigella infection and the yet undetermined role of Shiga toxin in producing neurotoxicity are presented.
