Dear Nurses

Sunday, September 28, 2008

HAVE A GOOD WEEK


Dear nurses,

Hope your week is going well. I have just added some brain teasers below, that may be helpful to you as you go about your assessment.
Here are some additional topics for your learning pleasure:
Hemodynamic Monitoring
Hypothermia

Enjoy learnng.
God bless you all

WHAT DO SAH AND MENINGITIS HAVE IN COMMON


What do Subarachnoid hemorrhage and meningitis have in common?
Well the symptoms are alike. They both exhibit symptoms like the ones
above (Kernig's and Brudzinski's signs). To learn more about this topic,
 click on the link: Sessions 23
Also take the quiz on:
SAH 
And enjoy learning!
Updated 4/23

RECEPTIVE AND EXPRESSIVE APHASIA

Updated 1/25
Dear nurses,

Assessment in the Clinical Setting is no longer available.


Receptive aphasia - In the image above, Alice had
a stroke which involved Wernicke's area. She has 
difficulty understanding when spoken to.Wernicke's
area is responsible for speech comprehension.

Expressive aphasia - Martha had a stroke that
involved Broca's area. She knows what she
wishes to say, but has difficulty expressing
herself. She gets frustrated and cries a lot.
This is sometimes described as " confused",
is not the case

For additional updated information on this topic visit:




The largest of the cranial nerves, is the Trigeminal.
                 This nerve contains three branches:
                Opthalmic ( corneal blink reflex). 
                           Maxillary - which supplies the upper jaw
                   Mandibular - controls the lower jaw.

Cranial nerve 7 - is the facial nerve , this is
checked with the trigeminal nerve.

BRAIN TEASERS FOR NURSES


Updated 10/24

Dear nurses,

Have you ever stopped to consider what certain medical terminology mean?
Well, here are some brain teasers just for you.

For example, the cerebellum is the part of the brain that works on coordination.
When it is injured by trauma, a patient may become very unstable on his feet:
  "wobbly walk".              


Stroke Series is no longer available.
STROKE SERIES -ASSESSMENT IN THE CLINICAL SETTING.



Friday, September 19, 2008

MAY GOD BLESS YOU, NURSES


Dear nurses,


It is a pleasure to serve you. Please bear with me while I put together
THE CLINICAL SETTING STEP BY STEP, chapter 10. THIS CHAPTER
will focus on topics such as heart, liver and kidney transplantation.
May God bless you all.
I thank God for sharing His wisdom with me, to help my fellow nurses.
Please take a moment to look at the topics below.
Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) is a clinical area that many nurses may not be familiar with.
Learning more is easy. Just click on the link:THE CLINICAL STEP BY STEP, chapter9
New nurses please visit dearnurses.org this site is specially made for the new or
inexperienced nurse, or those nurses returning to the profession after an extended absence.

HYPOTHERMIA IN THE PACU PATIENT


                           


                                             


 In the image above, a patient has just arrived
 in the PACUThe core temperature is 95
 degrees Fahrenheit. Warm blankets or a Bair
 Hugger may be used.

Defining Hypothermia
Hypothermia is defined as a drop in core temperature
of less than 95 Fahrenheit(35 Celsius). Regardless of
the cause, it is considered 
to be life - threatening. 

Hypothermia increases the body's demand for oxygen. 
If left untreated, it may lead to a myocardial infarction

Trauma Care - Part 1 is no longer available
                             
Trauma resulting in excessive blood loss,
     as well as alcohol ingestion, may also         
lead to hypothermia.Symptoms include:
shivering, blue lips, decrease in level
of consciousness and cold extremities. IV
fluids may have to be warmed. 
                                           

ANTICOAGULATION THERAPY IN THE PACU


Anticoagulation Therapy( Sessions 11) such as Heparin is used in many conditions.
If your were assigned to a patient in PACU, who is receiving Heparin Therapy, would
you know what to monitor? To learn more, click on the link:

AIRWAY MANAGEMENT OF THE PACU PATIENT


When a patient arrives in the PACU, airway management should not be ignored. Conditions such as hypoxia may result. THE CLINICAL STEP BY STEP, chapter 9 will help you learn more. Just click on the link:http://www.dearnurses.net/home.
 

Friday, September 12, 2008

HAVE A GOOD WEEK AND ENJOY LEARNING

Dear nurses,

It is always a pleasure to serve you. I have added some topics below, which might be helpful for many of you in the clinical setting. Stay posted for more topics to come soon. God bless you all.
Enjoy learning more about Chapter 9, THE CLINICAL SETTING STEP BY STEP.

BRAIN STEM FUNCTION

 Updated 2/24
Dear nurses,
The Clinical Setting Step by Step is no longer available. Please
click on the link : Cranial nerves
for more updated information.



When the neurological assessment is done, do you fully understand what part of the brain is involved and what to look for? For more helpful information on brain stem function, please go to
THE CLINICAL SETTING STEP BY STEP (Chapter 9 )and enjoy learning.

EPIDURAL VS. SUBDURAL BLEEDING AND HEMATOMA


Updated 1/25
Dear nurses,

The Clinical Setting Step by Step is no longer available.


Epidural vs. subdural bleed

An epidural bleed is an arterial bleed. The patient has a brief period of unconsciousness following injury. He then becomes lucid and quickly progresses to unconsciousness and possible coma. A common site for injury is the meningeal artery which runs close to the surface, behind the ear.

subdural bleed ( hematoma) is venous and progresses slowly. The patient may not experience any symptoms for a few days. It may even become chronic. Suspect a subdural bleed , if the patient had a fall / head injury and was initially okay, then later becomes unconscious. It is common in alcoholics.

                      Learn more about:  Subarachnoid hemorrhage





PAIN MANAGEMENT

Pain assessment ( Sessions 12 ) and management is a very important tool in the clinical
setting. Regardless of the age or situation , it is necessary to control pain. For more helpful information on this topic, please click on the link:
http://www.dearnurses.com/pain_management_pain_assessment

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

HAVE A GOOD WEEK


Dear nurses,

It is always a pleasure to help my fellow nurses. I am just returning from a much needed break. I have also just completed The Clinical Setting Step by Step, chapter 9. Hope you can learn more about the patient in *PACU. More images will be posted soon.
*Chapter 9
Have a good week

THE POSTOPERATIVE PATIENT



When the patient arrives in PACU. Even if you are not familiar with PACU, you may be floated to this area depending on the circumstances. The Clinical Setting Step by Step, Chapter 9 is packed with helpful information. Enjoy learning.