Is it save to mobilize patients with trans-formal devices such as balloon pumps, impellas, and ECMO? Who was the first person to dare to ask, “Why can’t we mobilize patients with trans-femoral balloon pumps?” Stephen Ramsey, PT, DPT, CCS shares with us his journey to developing the Ramsey protocol and revolutionizing mobility in the CVICU.
Walking Home From The ICU Episode 166: The Struggle of an ICU Revolutionist to Save Lives
What is it like for one lone ICU clinician to truly understand the risks of sedation and immobility? What it is like for them to try to implement interventions like awakening trials that have been supported by decades of research? How does lack of support and success increase moral injury, burnout, and the loss of
Health care inequality in critical care medicine is multifactorial and negatively impacts patient outcomes [18]. During COVID-19, for instance, it was noted that Hispanic patients were more at risk of having severe COVID-19 infections, and despite their younger age, they had a higher mortality rate. Socioeconomic disparities, lack of access to health care, timing, and
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
Perception Versus Reality: Debunking The Myths About Medically-Induced Comas
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