CVME Insider: Nursing Knowledge That Matters

Intravenous Lipids Intravenous Lipids have been used in the clinical setting for over 3 decades. However, the use of these intravenous fluids have had a widespread element of controversy. Some healthcare providers question whether we should be using intravenous lipids due to the potential compromise of patient outcomes. Over the past 15 years new lipids that include olive oil and/or fish oil have been introduced with some remarkable findings seen when these new lipids replace the more traditional ones.     The most widely available intravenous lipids are prepared from soybean oil or a combination of soybean and safflower oil. All of the emulsions are emulsified with egg yolk phospholipid, with glycerol added to achieve an isotonic solution.  The issue of  Lipid function and use in pediatric, adult surgical and critically ill patients were covered in a Swedish Symposium with the aim of developing a clearer picture of the current situation.  ...

Sepsis is a consequence of infection that is difficult to predict, diagnose, and treat. Patients who develop sepsis have an increased risk of complications and death and face higher healthcare costs and longer treatment.  CDC is working to increase sepsis awareness and improve treatment among the public, healthcare providers, and healthcare facilities.  It kills more people than HIV/Aids, prostate cancer and breast cancer combined. What is sepsis? Sepsis is an illness that affects all parts of the body that can happen in response to an infection and can quickly become life-threatening. In severe cases of sepsis, one or more organs fail. In the worst cases, sepsis causes the blood pressure to drop and the heart to weaken, leading to septic shock. Once this happens, multiple organs may quickly fail and the patient can die. Sepsis is a serious illness that is very difficult to predict, diagnose, and treat. Patients who develop sepsis have an increased risk of complic...

Intraosseous Devices The recognition of   the   intraosseous (IO)  vascular access  device in fluid resuscitation and stabilization of patients has been underrated for quite some time. Intravenous therapy alone has made significant strides in the past forty years. The need to administer a wide variety of fluids and medications to a patient and affect their circulatory system is critical in the resuscitation of patients in an emergent situation regardless of their underlying disease process. Rapid  vascular access  is required for many conditions to include but not limited to hypovolemic shock, trauma,  anaphylactic shock  and cardiac arrest . There have been several “leading national and international organizations” that have published position statements as well as performed research studies to advance the cause of the IO. The IO has served to change the standard of care in the emergency room in regards to the quick need for  vascula...

Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) is one of more than 100 non-polio enteroviruses. This virus was first identified in California in 1962. What are the symptoms of EV-D68 infection? EV-D68 can cause mild to severe respiratory illness. Mild symptoms may include fever, runny nose, sneezing, cough, and body and muscle aches. Severe symptoms may include wheezing and difficulty breathing. See  EV-D68 in the U.S., 2014  for details about infections occurring this year. Anyone with respiratory illness should contact their doctor if they are having difficulty breathing or if their symptoms are getting worse. How does the virus spread? Since EV-D68 causes respiratory illness, the virus can be found in an infected person’s respiratory secretions, such as saliva, nasal mucus, or sputum. EV-D68 likely spreads from person to person when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or touches a surface that is then touched by others. What time of the year are people most likely to get inf...

Does Your Hospital Use the  The Surviving Sepsis Campaign ? This c ampaign  was created to help healthcare workers implement the recommended guidelines for Severe Sepsis patients in the Emergency Room (ER) and Intensive Care Units (ICU).  The  Surviving Sepsis Campaign  kits include posters, pocket guides, bundle cards, lapel pins and a list of resources to aid your implementation efforts using the most recent edition of the international sepsis guidelines.   The Surviving Sepsis Campaign has developed pre-packaged kits to help clinicians within institutions to improve sepsis identification, management and treatment.   "The Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) partnered with the Institute for Healthcare  Improvement (IHI) to incorporate its “bundle concept” into the diagnosis and treatment  of patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. We believe that improvement in  the delivery of care should be measured one patient a...

SO I have been thinking about Nina Pham.  Who is Nina?  Well if you have to ask; then I think you should stop reading and go check your heart and soul.  The Center for Disease Control and Prevention  ( CDC ) has a poster that has been put out that shows you exactly how to put on and take off your Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in case you have a patient in isolation for whatever reason. However, I have been studying this poster and thinking about all my years of training; not only in the civilian world; but the military as well.  What is missing from the poster?  Can you guess? The Poster provided to us by the CDC is shown as follows:   Well, have you guessed?  What about the healthcare provider cover their hair or head?  What is a patient with the EBOLA virus is having a coughing spell; or having massive diarrhea and you are the one having to help them and care for them?  What if those small particles g...

Central Valley Medical would like to introduce "Heather Connor."    Heather Connor is originally from The Unites States; however, she has spent the last 11 years in Canada. Two years ago, after a long search that yielded no answers for the cause of her boys mystery symptoms, she gave up her career as a Surgical Device Rep, to focus on getting her kids the care and treatment they needed. Since then, both of her children and husband have been diagnosed with Dystonia , a little known neurological movement disorder that causes painful twisting and contractions of any voluntary muscle in the body. She has found her voice as an advocate for dystonia through her blog " Raising Dystonia ". by Heather Connor October 13, 2014 He was younger than I imagined. Maybe forty...tops. He was tall and attractive with light brown hair and glasses. He was Yale educated with a B.Sc, an M.Sc, a Ph.D and an MD. My research revealed that he is a pioneer in the fi...