Care of the Patient With an Artificial Airway.

BACKGROUND: Artificial airways are essential in various clinical settings to maintain a patient's airway and provide necessary support for ventilation and oxygenation. These devices are commonly temporary and come in several types, each serving specific purposes. Understanding the indications, types, and proper care of artificial airways is crucial for health care professionals to ensure patients receive optimal care and prevent complications. OBJECTIVE: This article aims to review the indications for using artificial airways and discuss the most commonly used types, including supraglottic airway devices, endotracheal tubes, tracheostomy tubes, and laryngectomy tubes. It also provides insights into the procedures involved in intubation and percutaneous tracheostomy and offers guidance on patient management, emphasizing assessment, oral care, suctioning, and humidification for patients with these airway devices. CONCLUSION: This article underscores the significance of understanding artificial airways, not just as a set of skills but as a commitment to patient welfare. Health care professionals who master the knowledge and care of these devices can significantly contribute to their patients' well-being and quality of life.

Development of a qualitative respirator fit testing program for BSN students.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the nursing student clinical experience. At the time of this project, hospitals hosting students for clinical experiences had a high population of COVID-19 positive patients. University and hospital policies at the time prohibited students from caring for COVID-19 patients due to the inability to safely ensure that students could access the proper protective equipment (PPE) necessary when caring for patients in airborne precautions. Infection control guidelines for patients in airborne precautions require a N95 respirator to be always worn by healthcare providers. These respirators require yearly fit test following OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) standards. Hospitals do have the resources to complete N95 fit tests for nursing students. The solution was to provide qualitative N95 mask fit testing, performed by university faculty, staff, and students using OSHA guidelines and standards. Within 3 months, over 50% of the student population had been fit tested, which increased the clinical opportunities for the students.

Care of the patient with an acute pulmonary embolism.

There are evidence-based prevention strategies known to reduce the risk of pulmonary embolism formation. However, pulmonary emboli remain a leading cause of death in critically ill patients with a 3-month mortality of 10% to 15%. This article addresses patients' risk factors, pulmonary embolism prevention strategies, clinical manifestations, and treatment modalities the interdisciplinary team should understand.

Chest tubes in the critically ill patient.

This article is meant as a review for critical care nurses caring for patients with chest tubes. The types of chest tubes, equipment needed, types of chest drainage systems, chest tube placement and setup, nursing care, chest tube removal, and complications will be discussed.