Cardiac Journal of Nursing

Resuscitation for Cardiac Arrest Should Begin and End with Basic Life Support

Resuscitation for Cardiac Arrest Should Begin and End with Basic Life Support

Tags: cardiac cardiac arrest epinephrine heart attack heart disease

The article discusses Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS), which includes medical interventions for cardiac arrest and cardiovascular emergencies beyond Basic Life Support (BLS). While ACLS utilizes interventions like epinephrine administration, oxygen usage, and advanced airways, the author argues that ACLS, particularly the use of epinephrine, fails to show significant benefits in terms of neurological recovery for patients and suggests that financial motivations might contribute to its continued use.

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So ARE Nurses the “Nurse Police” When it Comes to Inpatient Hospital Stays?

So ARE Nurses the “Nurse Police” When it Comes to Inpatient Hospital Stays?

Tags: cardiac cardiac nursing diet heart healthy diets inpatient care

This essay explains my experience with working with patients who face new dietary changes, in the form of heart-healthy diets, specifically. I explore my experience with acting in a sense, as a monitor of what my patient eats while hospitalized, monitoring food brought in by family and/or friends at the time of their visit, and how nurses should seek out teaching moments for imminent dietary changes their patients will face upon discharge home.

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What’s the Deal With Being Unprepared?  Patient’s Should Know...

What’s the Deal With Being Unprepared? Patient’s Should Know...

Tags: cardiac emergency emergency department emergency room ER experiences

My husband has had 2 chest pain events within a week. As a nurse working primarily in cardiac nursing most of my career, I knew that any family member entering the arena of chest pain treatment would bear the wrath of my watchful eye. This has been An eye-opening, untoward (in my opinion), experience and an experience that can become a learning moment for many, as my skilled eye in emergency room settings can cause “jading” of an experience, but the perception should carry forward.

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Weighing In On a Decade-old Subject

Weighing In On a Decade-old Subject

Tags: cardiac cardiac telemetry unit Code Blue nursing assistant opinion response

This writing addresses a subject of great interest to me. I unearthed an article written in 2011, by Ms. Tamekia L. Thomas, MSN, RN, PCCN, as per the time of a publication article dated Spring 2011: “Who’s Watching the Cardiac Monitor? Does it Matter?” (Nursing: Spring 2011- Volume 41) A quick background in my interest, is that I have recently retired after graduating as a registered nurse in 1988. One of the greatest joys of my nursing work, aside from the obvious patient contact and, hoping to make a difference to my patients’ experience, was working in telemetry. In several job locations, I worked telemetry intermittently, when assigned, though other duties notwithstanding.

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Rapid Response Team to the Rescue

Rapid Response Team to the Rescue

Tags: Ambulance cardiac Doctors EMS Follow-Ups patient patient safety Rapid Response rapid response team rapid response team benefits Rescue Rescue Team RRT RRT Nurse RRT Nursing Team treatment working together

Rapid response team (RRT) purpose is to initiate immediate measures before patient deteriorates further and to educate the staff on activating the staff the Rapid response team.

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Phlebotomy Basics For Nurses

Phlebotomy Basics For Nurses

Tags: blood blood drawing blood nurse cardiac infusion patient safety phlebotomy phlebotomy order of draw

The processes of phlebotomy are pivotal for patient care. Nurses may have to perform phlebotomy for their patient in various health care settings. Understanding the procedures, processes and reasons behind phlebotomy is the key to ensuring patient safety and positive patient outcomes.

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Therapeutic Hypothermia Management

Therapeutic Hypothermia Management

Tags: cardiac cerebral ischemia critical care hemorrhage Hypothermia perioperative recommendations Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Therapeutic Hypothermia therapy traumatic brain injury treatment

The leading cause of death in North America is heart disease, resulting in 611,105 deaths in the last year. Cardiac arrest accounts for more than 300,000 heart disease related deaths. Patients that receive early quality chest compressions and defibrillation present with increased survival rate, however, the degree of brain dysfunction varies. The advancement in cardiopulmonary resuscitation after cardiac arrest and the use of therapeutic hypothermia have minimized brain injury and improved neurologic outcome. In 2002, two studies demonstrated the use of therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest proving to lower mortality rate and have neuroprotective effect. This led the American Heart Association and the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation to recommend the implementation of therapeutic hypothermia after the return of spontaneous circulation post-cardiac arrest. Mild hypothermia is also utilized in traumatic brain injury to control cerebral edema and to decrease intracranial pressure (ICP), cerebral ischemia, and subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). However, clinical effectiveness for subarachnoid hemorrhage is still questionable. This paper will focus on the recommendations for therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest as well as a briefly discuss its use for clinical trials in traumatic brain injury, cerebral ischemia, and SAH.

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Early versus Later Rhythm Analysis in Patients with Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Quantitative Critique

Early versus Later Rhythm Analysis in Patients with Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Quantitative Critique

Tags: cardiac cardiac arrest literature review Quantitative Critique study

The critique of the study Early versus Later Rhythm Analysis in Patients with Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest evaluates strengths and weaknesses in relation to the generalizability of the study. The significance of the study is assessed, as well as the literature review, purpose, hypothesis, findings, and limitations. The study provided information regarding protocols on performing CPR on out-of-hospital patients. Although the findings were not clinically or statistically significant, the study did offer useful knowledge that both methods of rhythm analysis with CPR provide similar outcomes. This study failed to provide additional knowledge on the topic. Ultimately, further research should be completed on the best treatments for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.

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Cardiac Amyloidosis: The oft times missed cardiomyopathy - A nurse’s personal story

Cardiac Amyloidosis: The oft times missed cardiomyopathy - A nurse’s personal story

Tags: cardiac Cardiac Amyloidosis Cardiac Diagnostic Case Study death disease end of life

Having been in nursing for over 30 years, nothing I had learned in school or through experience would prepare me for the long, misdiagnosed disease my husband suffered that eventually took his life. Forever changing my perspective on healthcare, it has prompted me to share this story with other nurses, hopefully, averting this course for other patients, and possibly one’s own family member.

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Withdrawal in the Pediatric Cardiac Population

Withdrawal in the Pediatric Cardiac Population

Tags: cardiac pediatric population

Oftentimes patients admitted to the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit are placed on narcotic and/or benzodiazepine intravenous infusions after surgery, especially if prolonged intubation is expected. It is generally assumed that after a period of 5 days on continuous infusions or administration of around the clock opioid/benzodiazepine administration, the patient should be monitored for signs of withdrawal.

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Basic Cardiac Assessments: Physical Examination, Electrocardiography, and Chest Radiography 

Basic Cardiac Assessments: Physical Examination, Electrocardiography, and Chest Radiography 

Tags: cardiac cardiac assessments chest radiology electrocardiography ICU physical examination risk factors surgical unit

The human heart is one of the major organs adversely affected by high blood pressure. Therefore, the registered nurse must provide a careful and thorough evaluation of the assessments needed via the cardiac structure and function (i.e., including visual signs, all non-and invasive cardiac medical devices), which is an obligatory part of the examination of the hypertensive patient.

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My Nursing Career A Whole New Appreciation 

My Nursing Career A Whole New Appreciation 

Tags: appreciation cardiac career love night shift nursing

Not a day goes by, without reading in the newspaper and hearing over the radio or TV about the rising rate of unemployment in our country. It is this reality that has given me a whole new appreciation for being a nurse.

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The Signs and Symptoms’ of Cardiomyopathy: The Awareness and Actions of the Registered Nurse 

The Signs and Symptoms’ of Cardiomyopathy: The Awareness and Actions of the Registered Nurse 

Tags: cardiac cardiomyopathy echocardiography heart attack signs symptoms

A careful history-taking by the registered nurse or practitioner along with a complete physical examination can reveal cardiomyopathies, but it is appropriate to confirm the diagnosis with a transthoracic echocardiography and selected laboratory studies.

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