As a nurse, you may encounter an array of mobility issues across a span of different kinds of patients. In fact, the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control says that almost 40 million adults in the U.S. experience some degree of difficulty with physical functioning, with over 17 million reporting being unable to walk a quarter mile.
Here in New Mexico we have many rattlesnakes slithering around. Have you ever encountered one of these in your path? I once cared for a patient who had a rattlesnake on her front lawn and she tried to shoo it away. Obviously this didn't go well because she became my patient later that night! What do you do if someone has been bit by a rattlesnake?
As a nurse, it is very important to understand coagulation studies and what the values mean. Here is a simplified guide to understanding some of the most common lab tests like PT, INR, PTT, and what they mean for your patient.
It is important to be able to recognize different types of heart blocks when your patient develops them. What do the ECG strips look like? What will the patient feel like? Most importantly, what are you going to do about it?
As a nurse, one common infection you will encounter with patients is bound to be urinary tract infection (UTI). Studies suggest that upwards of 40% to 50% of all women will contract UTI at some point in their lives and that over 8 million people visit a healthcare provider each year for UTI. Understanding its causes, risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment can help you provide even better care to your patients who may develop one.
Are you a night shift nurse who drinks cup after cup of coffee to stay awake? This article by Kathy Gallo over at Daily Cupo wrote this article about the negative effects of coffee on your body. It's an interesting read for all of my coffee drinkers!
Hepatitis is a common viral infection in the hospital population, especially with liver failure patients. There are a variety of strains of hepatitis, some acute and some chronic in nature. The most common type that I have seen in the ICU is Hepatitis C with chronic liver disease patients. When patients are in the ICU, their liver failure is generally very advanced requiring more palliative treatment. What causes this destruction of the liver? How do we prevent this from happening?
People suffering from multiple sclerosis have a variety of symptoms that they experience. As a nurse, it's important to understand these symptoms and how we can help these individuals. Jessica from ViveHealth.com put together this great article about the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of MS.
We have heard time and time again that getting vaccinated increase the risk for developing autism. In the last few years, there has been new information that has shown that this is not the case. Autism Speaks put out this great article talking about different studies that have shown that there isn't an increased risk of autism from getting vaccinated, it might actually decrease the risk.
The process of declaring brain death and then donating organs is one that is very interesting to many nurses (including myself). How exactly is brain death declared? How does the process of donating organs work? I interviewed Tony Hume, a nurse from New Mexico, who has a great deal of experience with these situations to help answer these questions.
