How to nurse the intensive care unit ventilator patient
Abstract
Mechanical ventilators are an integral part of any intensive care unit. There are a variety of patients that may benefit from mechanical ventilation such as patients that are hypoxaemic (Pa02 <60mmHg) in spite of oxygen therapy, hypercapnic (PaC02>60mmHg) or at risk of impending respiratory failure. Mechanical ventilation is expensive and requires a dedicated nurse to care for the patient. This nurse must have an understanding of respiratory physiology, principles of mechanical ventilation, terminology, setting up the ventilator, troubleshooting problems, providing nursing care to meet the individual patient requirements and recognising signs of complications. Such cases require thorough clinical records and communication between staff members. They are labour intensive cases but can be extremely rewarding to nurse.
There are a variety of circumstances in which a decision may be made to ventilate a patient. These reasons generally fall into four categories (Clare and Hopper, 2005a).
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