Walking From ICU Episode 94- The ICU Deathtrap

Walking Home From The ICU Episode 94: The ICU Deathtrap

Why are prolonged sedation and immobility lethal? How do our standard practices of automatically sedating every patient on a ventilator deprive them of the chance to survive and thrive? What systemic barriers stop us from implementing evidence-based practices that save lives and drastically change outcomes? Michelle, DNP, ACNP dives deep into powerful case studies that

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Walking From ICU Episode 92- Sedated Because She's Intubated and Intubated Because She's Sedated

Walking Home From The ICU Episode 92: Sedated Because She’s Intubated and Intubated Because She’s Sedated

Susanne was admitted to the ICU for ludwig’s angina. When she required intubation only for airway protection, she was placed on the conveyor belt of ICU care. How did deep sedation and immobility impact her physical and psychological outcomes? How much more unnecessary time did she spent suffering in delirium on the ventilator? She tells

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As an RN in the Medical-Surgical ICU at the hospital I work at, I began my interest in ICU Liberation through an Evidence-Based Practice project.

While I was initially grabbed by what the literature has to say about over-sedation and patient outcomes, it wasn’t until I discovered Kali’s Walking Home From The ICU podcast that a culture of sedationless ICU care sounded tangible. The group I worked with on the project was both inspired, devastated, and intrigued by the stories Kali illuminates on the podcast, and we were able to bring her to our hospital for a virtual Zoom Webinar, where she presented on the practices in the Awake and Walking ICU.

This webinar was an incredible way to draw attention toward this necessary culture shift as Kali shared stories of patients awake and mobile in the ICU despite the complexity of their illness. The webinar inspired our final draft for the new practice guideline on analgesia and sedation management in the ICU, and since then we have seen intubated COVID patients playing tic tac toe on the door with staff members on the other side, taking laps around the unit, performing their own oral care using a hand mirror, and most importantly, keeping their autonomy and integrity while fighting to leave the ICU to resume the life they had before coming in.

Nora Raher, BSN, RN, MSICU
Virginia, USA

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