A Nurse's Survival Guide to Critical Care

SECTION 1 General principles of critical care 1.1 Introduction 2 1.2 Emergencies and life-threatening complications SECTION 2 Patient assessment and investigations 2.1 Identification of patient needs/problems 2.2 Assessment 2.3 Haemodynamic monitoring 2.4 Diagnostic procedures SECTION 3 Critical care interventions 3.1 Medium-technology life-support interventions 3.2 High-technology life-support interventions 3.3 Caring for a critical care patient 3.4 Intubation and ventilation 3.5 Transfer of critical care patients SECTION 4 Common conditions/reasons for admission 4.1 Principles of cellular death, injury and repair 4.2 Neurological 4.3 Endocrine disorders 4.4 Respiratory 4.5 Cardiovascular 4.6 Renal 4.7 Gastrointestinal (GIT) 4.8 Immunological 4.9 Surgery 4.10 Burns 4.11 Poisoning/overdose SECTION 5 Psychological and ethical care 5.1 Mental effects of critical care 5.2 Palliative care in critical care 5.3 Professional practice issues SECTION 6 Pharmacology 6.1 Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics 6.2 Classification of drugs used in critical care 6.3 Drug calculations 6.4 Nurse prescribing Conclusion References Further reading Appendix 1 Units of measurement Appendix 2 Normal values Appendix 3 Drug measurement and calculations Glossary Index