Reading as a Nursing Intervention for Agitation in Patients With Anoxic Brain Injury.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this article is to describe and recommend reading as a nursing intervention for agitated patients with anoxic brain injury. DESIGN: The design of this study is a case report of the results from reading to an agitated patient with anoxic brain injury. METHODS: Observation of the effects of reading to an agitated patient. FINDINGS: Fifteen minutes of reading to an agitated patient during the evening hours had a calming effect. CONCLUSIONS: Reading to agitated patients is an additional nursing intervention with little risk and represents efficient, patient-centered care. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Reading is a successful nursing intervention that has a calming effect on agitated patients.

[A reflective case report applied to pain management in a complex care situation]. / Eine reflexive Fallarbeit bezogen auf das Schmerzmanagement in einer komplexen Pflegesituation.

PROBLEM: This case report deals with the unsatisfying pain management of a 44 year old patient with cardiac arrest and subsequent cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The patient has (1) a reduced consciousness, (2) is isolated due to an infection with multi-resistant germs, (3) has a tracheotomy and (4) contractures of the muscles in fingers and hands. During nursing care he shows facial expressions and body postures that indicate pain which is insufficiently addressed. METHOD: The case was processed according to the model of reflexive case report by Johns (1995) and interpreted by theoretical expertise and the change of the perspective. Therefore the following questions were answered: Which factors made the nurse who brought the case to the case deliberation feeling dissatisfied with the pain management? RESULTS: Insufficient pain management due to a lack of knowledge, no assessment of the state of consciousness, pain and isolation probably led to unnecessary burden of the patient, next of kin and nurses. Training, systematic pain management and multi-disciplinary case conferences might facilitate dealing with comparable complex situations of caring in the future. DISCUSSION: The present case report shows that pain can only be treated successfully if pain-triggering factors are recognized, systematically assessed and treated. An adequate external assessment of the pain situation is especially important when dealing with patients who suffer from disorders of consciousness. In complex cases, in which multiple factors influence the pain situation, interdisciplinary case conferences may help to improve the quality of pain management.

Transcranial regional cerebral oxygen desaturation predicts delayed cerebral ischaemia and poor outcomes after subarachnoid haemorrhage: a correlational study.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the relationship between regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO2), delayed cerebral ischaemia (DCI), and outcomes after aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH). RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: Subjects (n = 163) with aSAH, age 21-75 years, and Fisher grade >1 were included in the study. Continuous rSO2 monitoring was performed for 5-10 days after injury using near-infrared spectroscopy with sensors over the frontal/temporal cortex. rSO2<50 indicated desaturation. DCI was defined as neurological deterioration due to impaired cerebral blood flow. Three- and 12-month functional outcomes were assessed by the modified Rankin scale (MRS) as good (0-3) and poor (4-6). RESULTS: DCI occurred in 57% of patients; of these 66% had rSO2<50. Overall, 56% had rSO2<50 on either side, 21% and 16% had poor MRS at 3 and 12 months. Subjects with rSO2 <50 were 3.25 times more likely to have DCI compared to those with rSO2 >50 (OR 3.25, 95%CI 1.58-6.69), positive predictive value (PPV) = 70%. Subjects with rSO2 <50 were 2.7 times more likely to have poor 3-month MRS compared to those with rSO2 >50 (OR 2.7, 95%CI 1.1-7.2), PPV = 70%. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that NIRS has the potential for detecting DCI after aSAH. This potential needs to be further explored in a larger prospective study.

Activity and Life After Survival of a Cardiac Arrest (ALASCA) and the effectiveness of an early intervention service: design of a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac arrest survivors may experience hypoxic brain injury that results in cognitive impairments which frequently remain unrecognised. This may lead to limitations in daily activities and participation in society, a decreased quality of life for the patient, and a high strain for the caregiver. Publications about interventions directed at improving quality of life after survival of a cardiac arrest are scarce. Therefore, evidence about effective rehabilitation programmes for cardiac arrest survivors is urgently needed. This paper presents the design of the ALASCA (Activity and Life After Survival of a Cardiac Arrest) trial, a randomised, controlled clinical trial to evaluate the effects of a new early intervention service for survivors of a cardiac arrest and their caregivers. METHODS/DESIGN: The study population comprises all people who survive two weeks after a cardiac arrest and are admitted to one of the participating hospitals in the Southern part of the Netherlands. In a two-group randomised, controlled clinical trial, half of the participants will receive an early intervention service. The early intervention service consists of several consultations with a specialised nurse for the patient and their caregiver during the first three months after the cardiac arrest. The intervention is directed at screening for cognitive problems, provision of informational, emotional and practical support, and stimulating self-management. If necessary, referral to specialised care can take place. Persons in the control group will receive the care as usual. The primary outcome measures are the extent of participation in society and quality of life of the patient one year after a cardiac arrest. Secondary outcome measures are the level of cognitive, emotional and cardiovascular impairment and daily functioning of the patient, as well as the strain for and quality of life of the caregiver. Participants and their caregivers will be followed for twelve months after the cardiac arrest.A process evaluation will be performed to gain insight into factors that might have contributed to the effectiveness of the intervention and to gather information about the feasibility of the programme. Furthermore, an economic evaluation will be carried out to determine the cost-effectiveness and cost-utility of the intervention. DISCUSSION: The results of this study will provide evidence on the effectiveness of this early intervention service, as well as the cost-effectiveness and its feasibility. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials [ISRCTN74835019].

Successful outcome in severe traumatic brain injury: a case study.

This case study describes the management of a 54-year-old male who presented to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) after being assaulted. He underwent an emergent bifrontal decompressive hemicraniectomy for multiple, severe frontal contusions. His postoperative course included monitoring of intracranial pressure, cerebral perfusion pressure, partial pressure of brain oxygen, brain temperature, and medical management based on HUP's established TBI algorithm. This case study explores the potential benefit of combining multimodality monitoring and TBI guidelines in the management of severe TBI.

Pediatric considerations in homecare.

"If I had known beforehand how difficult, demanding, time consuming, and exhausting it would be--having my child home on a ventilator--I would never have agreed to bring her home" (personal communication with a parent, 1994). This mother's statement strikes at the heart of pediatric high-tech homecare. Parents assume caregiver roles that professional health providers have taken years to develop. Nurses, as strangers, intrude into intimate family relationships that have cultivated over years. Pioneering agencies attempt to fill a gap in pediatric care using guidelines that have been entrenched in the medical and economic models for years. The multiple dimensions of high-tech pediatric homecare require more than provision of technical nursing services. In homecare, nurses are challenged by cultural differences, language barriers, loss of control, family dynamics, practicing in unfamiliar environments, and new technology. To ensure quality nursing care, all professional dimensions need to be considered to be of equal importance.

Evaluating physical and behavioral changes in older adults.

In older adults, subtle and sometime not so subtle physical or behavior changes can act as early warning signs of changing status. Nonspecific signs and symptoms occurring in older adults such as decline in previous functional capacity, urinary incontinence, anorexia, confusion, or unexplained falls may be signs of infection, medication interaction, dehydration, constipation, or sleep deprivation. Nurses, by critically assessing the situation early, may identify a developing problem. Prompt and early diagnosis of the underlying problem may save costly extended hospitalization or even prevent life-threatening complications.

Cerebral hemodynamics: monitoring arteriojugular oxygen content differences.

Arteriojugular oxygen difference (AJDO2) is used to manage the care of acute head-injured patients by monitoring the relationship between cerebral metabolism and blood flow. Blood samples from the jugular bulb and a peripheral artery are monitored either continuously or episodically to calculate AJDO2 and cerebral oxygen utilization. An understanding of cerebral oxygen transport physiology is essential to measuring AJDO2. A case study highlights the use of AJDO2 monitoring.