ICU Assessment Flashcards
Name 4 critical care areas
- Intensive care units
- step down/high acuity/intermediate unit
- Operating rooms
- Recovery rooms
Critical care areas have the highest _____
staff to patient ratio
What are the two more typical patient populations found in the critical care units
- Respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation
- Cardiovascular instability requiring invasive hemodynamic monitoring
3 sources of information for ICU patients
Charts
Monitors
Nurses
4 questions you consider when first assessing a patient
- What brought them in
- Do they have any mobility orders or ROM restrictions?
- What is their current status
- What is the plan for today for them? (i.e. tests, ventilator weaning, OR, dressing changes, etc.)
What is a peripheral intravenous line? where is it inserted? how does it work?
- Inserted into a peripheral vein
- Enables administration of fluids and meds
- is gravity driven or on a pump
What is a PICC line? Purpose? Where does it insert?
- Peripherally inserted central catheter
- To give medications that will corrode peripheral veins and require mixing with larger blood volumes quickly such as chemotherapy or antibiotics
- Can also use to take blood samples
- Inserted in peripheral vein but travels all the way into superior vena cava so that it can mix with more blood
Why do you need to assess Level of consciousness
Need to know how much can this patient participate in treatment vs how much will be passive
What are 2 commonly used sedation scales
- Richmond agitation sedation scale (RASS)
- Glasgow coma scale
Scoring on the RASS
Grading -5 to +4.
0 is normal (alert and calm)
+4 is combative violent danger - calling security and police
-5 is unarousable, no response to voice of physical stim
What is a useful tool for assessing pain in ICU patients
Behavioural pain scale S
Scoring of the behavioural pain scale?
3-12
12 = most pain
What is normal ICP?
5-10mmHg
What ICP will lead to brain damage
> 20mmHg for over 5 minutes
What is the purpose of an extraventricular drain?
To monitor and drain ICP as needed
What are important considerations when working with a patient with a extraventricular drain
- Always check physicians orders regarding target ICP and ability to change patients position or do chest physiotherapy
- Activity Will be pretty limited especially if stopcock is open, if we change position and in turn change how gravity is working with these drains we can get into trouble
- always make sure stopcock is closed before any position changes
- Increased BP will increase ICP - be careful what you do
What are 3 things you need to know when assessing spinal stability
- ASIA
- If injury is stable or not, especially if it is getting worse
- Orders around collar and braces
What is very important to screen for when assessment cognition and behaviour? Why?
Delirium
The earlier we can catch it the better, has effect of morbidity and mortality
70-80% of patients have some _____ at discharge from ICU
Cognitive deficit
What are some examples of cognitive deficit faced by people upon discharge from ICU
- Attention, concentration & memory
- Depression
- High level functioning
- ordering
- Impaired judgement
- Decreased awareness
- Apraxia
How do you assess Patients emotional and behavioural changes
Ask friend or family is they are different from before the event
What is different in an IPPA of a ventilated patient
- Inspection: Should include the position/stability or airway and ventilator settings
- Palpation - Passive ventilation will follow path of least resistance and preferentially ventilate upper areas
- Auscultation - On a ventilator all breath sounds will be significantly louder
Why do you inspect and palpate the chest and abdomen
Because these will both affect diaphragm function, ability to cough and clear, ability to get air in.
How are secretion measurements done in ICU
Amount: 1,2,3 (small, med, large)
Description: Mucoid (M), Mucopurulent (MP), purulent (P), Bloody (B)
What are
- Mucoid (M)
- Mucopurulent (MP)
- purulent (P)
- Bloody (B)
- Mucoid: clear salivary
- Mucopurulent: Clear mixed with gross green stuff
- purulent: gross green stuff
- Bloody - blood
How is CO2 monitored in ICU
End tidal COW using monitoring device in vent tubing - dont need to draw blood for ABGs
What is normal CO2
Same as PaCO2 in ABGs: 35-45 mmHG
What happens to the CO2 monitor when you mobilize a patient
Can disconnect it
What does increasing PaCO2 when doing activity indicate
yOu are working them too hard
What is the P/F ratio
FiO2 ratio - The ratio of arterial oxygen partial pressure to fractional inspire oxygen = PaO2/FiO2
What is normal P/F ratio
> 380
Because PaO2 80/0.21
Room air oxygen is 21%
What is an arterial line? It’s purpose? Where is it inserted?
Indwelling catheter
- Constantly monitors arterial BP (SBP, DBP, MAP) on bedside monitor
- Access for direct blood sampling for painless and frequent analysis of ABGs
- inserted radially and femorally in adults, can also be inserted in axillary and pedal arteries
Can a patient mobilize with an arterial line?
Yes
When mobilizing with an arterial line what comes with you and what stays at bedside
- Arterial line itselt
- transducer
- pressure bag
Left at bedside: monitor
Arterial line PT Considerations?
- Measure is not always accurate
- For line to give accurate readings the transducer needs to be at the level of the superior vena cave (4th intercostal space)
- Interference will occur from changes in joint position and resulting compression of line
- Avoid excessive wrist motion or hip flexion
How can you tell if the arterial line is working
- A clear waveform on the bedside monitor
- Can also check with a cuff pressure measurement