BookSharon Edwards, Joyce Williams.
Summary: "This is the indispensable guide to daily procedures and problems faced by nurses working in this specialty. The focus of the book is on the patient and not the technology; the aim is to put across that the critical care practitioner looks after the patient and uses the technology to assist and support care, it is not the care itself."-- Back cover.
Contents:
Section 1 General principles of critical care; 1.1 Introduction; 1.2 Health and Safety; 1.3 Emergencies and life-threatening complications; 1.4 Life threatening complications/ outcomes;
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 Burns; 4.10 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 Medication management; 6.2 Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics; 6.3 Classification of drugs used in critical care; 6.4 Drug calculations; 6.5 Nurse prescribing; Conclusion; References; Relevant websites; Further reading;
Appendix 1 Units of measurement; Units (SI), the metric system and conversions; Measurements, equivalents and conversions (SI or metric and imperial);
Appendix 2 Normal values; Blood (haematology); Blood-venous plasma (biochemistry); Cerebrospinal fluid; Urine; Faeces;
Appendix 3 Drug measurement and calculations; Glossary; Index