Critical Care/ICU Competency
VersaCare Bed -
- blue air mattress that provides pressure relief for pts with *up to Stage III pressure sores*
--> air fills up on one side in order to turn the pt
--> pressure relief primarily to UB (staff must reposition LB in order to provide full body relief)
Total Sport Care Bed -
- each ICU unit owns 1-2 total sport care beds. Include *pink air mattress that provides some
pressure relief to the pt with rotation in UB*
--> provides pulmonary care to pts who require frequent chest physical therapy by providing
*percussions/vibrations to pt's chest*
--> also provides option of *chair egress* with stand assist to allow for full upright seated position and
ease with standing
Portable Monitors -
In the CICU, check with nursing for availability of a portable telemetry unit in order to
progress a pt through Phase I Cardiac Rehab staging. Unless they have transfer orders to the GPU pts
should be monitored during the session unless otherwise noted by nursing. Travel monitors/portable
tele is avail on all ICU's to advance pts
Arterial Line/Arterial BP (ABP) -
- arterial line is a thin catheter that is inserted directly into the artery to measure real-time BP
- Inserted:
--> Radial art
--> Femoral art at the groin: *avoid hip flexion beyond 90 to prevent kinking of the catheter
--> Brachial art
--> Axillary art
- important to the tx of your pt: Art lines are dynamic and positional changes will cause fluctuations in
the pressure due to the positional nature of this line
- the transducer is zeroed or calibrated on the bedside monitor when it is positioned at the level of the
RA and it is attached to the pt's upper arm
--> transducer ABOVE heart = *displays drop in BP*
--> transducer BELOW heart = *displays elevation of BP*
- monitor alarms are set for acceptable BP ranges for each specific pt while pt is lying
--> important to determine if alterations are d/t movement or actual changes in BP
--> BP should return to baseline once activities have stopped and limb is returned to resting position
--> follow the same guidelines in the lab values competency to determine whether a pt is appropriate
for tx
- MAP is constantly available
--> gives you an indication of the average perfusion pressure across the entire cardiac cycle
--> <60 may not be good for tx
Central Venous Line (CVP) -
- used to measure right atrial pressures and fluid status
- Inserted:
