How Clinicians, Patients, and Families Can Benefit from Better Communication in the ICU
Back when I was studying to become a nurse, I had an experience in the ICU that changed me forever. As a starry-eyed 18-year-old nursing student, I was incredibly excited to finally be in the ICU, experiencing what I’d dreamed about for so many years. But when I got there and started to learn what
As far as the early mobility community is concerned, the benefits of early mobility in the intensive care unit are not up for debate. There are mountains of evidence to show these benefits and support the safety and efficacy of early mobility in the ICU, and this is something I’ve documented repeatedly. But unfortunately, ICUs
How the ABCDEF Bundle Can Improve the Quality of Death for ICU Patients
Over the years, I’ve witnessed first-hand how the ABCDEF Bundle’s evidence-based practices can reduce healthcare costs, while improving patient outcomes and working conditions in the ICU. But even though evidence shows that the ABCDEF Bundle can decrease the risk of death by 68 percent, its success is not always found in a patient’s ability to
Learn More > from How the ABCDEF Bundle Can Improve the Quality of Death for ICU Patients
How I Was First Introduced to the ABCDEF Bundle
“Would you be willing to walk intubated patients on ventilators?” my future nurse manager asked me during my initial interview. As a new nurse, I failed to fully understand the importance of this question and eagerly answered, “Yes! Of course! Teach me everything.” During my first few years working as a nurse in an Awake
Learn More > from How I Was First Introduced to the ABCDEF Bundle
I stumbled upon Kali’s podcast midway through my anesthesia critical care fellowship in February 2021. At our institution, I got the impression that patients in the ICU either got better on their own or had a prolonged and complicated course to LTAC or death. In her podcast, Kali explained that LTAC was rarely the outcome for patients in the Awake and Walking ICU in Salt Lake City.
Their ICU survivors hardly ever got trached, PEGed, or sent to LTAC, and literally walked out of the hospital in condition as close to their previous health as they could be. Although the concept of using no sedation on ventilated patients was completely foreign to me, it made sense based on what I had read in the literature. I devoured all of the episodes from the beginning, many of them bringing tears and regret for my ignorance, followed by inspiration and hope in later episodes. Listening to her podcast has been one of the most profound experiences in my short, eight-year career in medicine.
After discovering the no sedation, early mobility practice at the Awake and Walking ICU, my focus shifted to bringing it to my own institution. I visited Salt Lake City in March to witness it with my own eyes. Since then, I’ve been in touch closely with Kali and Louise to learn the practical approaches to sedation wean and sedation avoidance for newly intubated patients in the ICU.
Mikita Fuchita, MD
Colorado, USA
Perception Versus Reality: Debunking The Myths About Medically-Induced Comas
By clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to this site's Privacy Policy. Your information is always kept safe.
