Advanced Critical Care Nursing

Abstract

discussed include the immediate postoperative period, critically ill pregnant patients, pediatric patients in the adult critical care unit, critically ill patients with neuropsychiatric disorders or chemical dependency, oncologic emergencies, and end-of-life care. There are 2 additional chapters in this unit that are particularly timely: caring for critically ill elderly patients and caring for bariatric patients. Readers will appreciate several unique features of this book. Nutrition boxes related to specific physiologic processes provide the reader with key information to consider when planning and implementing care. Numerous case studies are woven throughout the chapters and present key patient assessment findings and diagnostic data. Authors then use decision point questions to guide the reader toward determining what other information should be considered or what action should be taken. Pharmacologic implications are presented using medication tables that are positioned within the content to provide a concise overview of the actions, indications, dosages and special considerations related to the administration of the drug(s). Other tables include multidisciplinary plans of care that use a problem-based approach related to the body system or disease process involved. These tables enforce the importance of collaboration with other members of the health care team and aid the reader in determining appropriate choices for care. In addition to many full color illustrations, the Evolve Web site for the book provides updates, selected appropriate multidisciplinary, evidence-based plan of care for a specific patient population. The authors focus the assessment portion of the nursing process on recognition of abnormal results from diagnostic tests and potentially life-threatening complications, resulting in the application of content in a practical manner. The first unit of the book deals with the current critical care environment, discussing caring for patients in nontraditional settings or for patients with comorbid conditions that require specialized knowledge. The AACN Synergy Model and the Healthy Work Environment Standards are presented along with critical elements related to each standard. An overview of the concepts of pain and sedation is also presented, in which different types of pain are discussed and therapies include not only medications, but also nonpharmacologic interventions. The second unit also gives the reader important information related to concepts applicable to a variety of critical care patients. Chapters in this unit are dedicated to symptom management, application of nutrition, thermoregulation, and caring for families of critically ill patients. Chapter 9 provides key information on topics such as rapid response teams, central catheter bloodstream infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia, and stress-related erosive syndrome, using an evidence-based approach to improving outcomes through prophylaxis. Units 3 to 11 thoroughly discuss each separate body system ending with multisystem disorders. The final unit addresses unique patient populations that may not often be associated with Advanced Critical Care Nursing Karen K. Carlson, ed. St. Louis, MO: Saunders Elsevier; 2009. Hardcover; 1597 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1416032199