Nurse Nacole ◂ Nursing Resources

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

noreply@blogger.com (Nurse Nacole) — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Category: Critical Care Nursing
Mottling or prolonged capillary refill time (CRT) is suggestive of low cardiac output with great specificity but low sensitivity. A strategy guided by CRT is better than one based on decrease in blood lactate during early resuscitation of septic shock.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

noreply@blogger.com (Nurse Nacole) — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Category: Critical Care Nursing
Careful clinical examination should be performed in the early phase of shock, as it can provide useful information about the causative mechanism. Particular attention should be paid to markers of skin perfusion.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

noreply@blogger.com (Nurse Nacole) — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Category: Critical Care Nursing
Because pulmonary arterial blood blends the mix from all venous territories of the body, measuring mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO2) with the pulmonary artery catheter enables assessment of global tissue oxygenation.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

noreply@blogger.com (Nurse Nacole) — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Category: Critical Care Nursing
The pulmonary artery catheter provides hemodynamic variables (RAP, PAP, PAOP and CO) and with tissue perfusion variables such as mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO2) and the mixed venous carbon dioxide pressure (PvCO2).

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

noreply@blogger.com (Nurse Nacole) — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Category: Critical Care Nursing
The pulmonary artery catheter's use declined due to (1) insufficient knowledge in measuring/interpreting data, (2) a report showing increased mortality with use, (3) no outcome benefit with use and (4) development of other noninvasive options.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

noreply@blogger.com (Nurse Nacole) — Sun, 05 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Category: Critical Care Nursing
In the 1990s, the pulmonary artery catheter was at its apogee, as it was the only method to assess/monitor hemodynamics. It measures cardiac output, pulmonary artery pressure, cardiac filling pressures and mixed venous blood gases.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

noreply@blogger.com (Nurse Nacole) — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Category: Critical Care Nursing
TEE is used in the evaluation of infectious and embolic sources in patients with unexplained sepsis or embolic strokes. In an acute setting, regurgitant valvular lesions in the setting of bacteremia can be suggest infectious endocarditis.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

noreply@blogger.com (Nurse Nacole) — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Category: Critical Care Nursing
Restrictive cardiomyopathy is difficult to diagnose, as it presents with diastolic dysfunction of the ventricles and echocardiographic findings require an evaluation of diastolic function.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

noreply@blogger.com (Nurse Nacole) — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Category: Critical Care Nursing
Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) is important to recognize because the presence of this problem alters the usual management of cardiogenic shock because administration of inotropic agents can be detrimental.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

noreply@blogger.com (Nurse Nacole) — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Category: Critical Care Nursing
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is characterized by symmetric or asymmetric concentric hypertrophy of the myocardium. It is important to recognize a dynamic obstruction of the LVOT in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM).

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

noreply@blogger.com (Nurse Nacole) — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Category: Critical Care Nursing
The best view for evaluation in cardiac arrest is the left ventricular short axis view (LV SAX). This is because it can provide information about extreme changes in volume status, myocardial function, and pericardial tamponade simultaneously.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

noreply@blogger.com (Nurse Nacole) — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Category: Critical Care Nursing
Echocardiography is an important application of ultrasound in cardiac arrest. It focuses on identifying the causes of cardiac arrest such as cardiac tamponade, pulmonary embolism, hypovolemia or myocardial failure.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

noreply@blogger.com (Nurse Nacole) — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Category: Critical Care Nursing
Tension pneumothorax can cause decreased cardiac preload and echocardiographic findings show hypovolemia and possible mechanical cardiac compression or shift.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

noreply@blogger.com (Nurse Nacole) — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Category: Critical Care Nursing
A pulmonary embolism causes the obstruction of blood flow from the right side of the heart to the left. It commonly presents with signs of right-sided pressure overload and RV failure, in conjunction with a hypovolemic and hyperdynamic LV.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

noreply@blogger.com (Nurse Nacole) — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Category: Critical Care Nursing
Circulatory collapse caused by mechanical interference with ventricular filling or emptying is classified as an obstructive shock. Potential causes include pericardial effusion and tamponade, tension pneumothorax and pulmonary embolism.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

noreply@blogger.com (Nurse Nacole) — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Category: Critical Care Nursing
Bedside echocardiography in the septic patient is focused on the systematic evaluation of volume status and fluid responsiveness, systemic vascular resistance and ventricular function.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

noreply@blogger.com (Nurse Nacole) — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Category: Critical Care Nursing
The clinical picture of septic shock can range from pure distributive shock to combinations of hypovolemic, cardiogenic and distributive shock. For this reason, echocardiography aids in the assessment and management of septic patients.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

noreply@blogger.com (Nurse Nacole) — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Category: Critical Care Nursing
The most common pathologies causing right ventricular failure leading to acute cardiogenic shock are acute volume or pressure overload, new valvular pathologies or acute ischemia.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

noreply@blogger.com (Nurse Nacole) — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Category: Critical Care Nursing
Strong echocardiographic indicators for cardiogenic shock include enlarged LV size, qualitatively depressed LV function, fractional shortening less than 25%, low ejection fraction by FAC and low CO by LVOT Doppler measurements.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

noreply@blogger.com (Nurse Nacole) — Sun, 22 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Category: Critical Care Nursing
Left heart failure resulting from systolic dysfunction is usually associated with low left ventricle ejection fraction, low cardiac output, systemic volume overload and signs of pulmonary and hepatic congestion.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

noreply@blogger.com (Nurse Nacole) — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Category: Critical Care Nursing
Variations in LV SV reflected by changes in left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) velocity predict the volume responsiveness. A change in LVOT VMAX of > 12% and a change in LVOT VTI of > 20% is seen in fluid responders.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

noreply@blogger.com (Nurse Nacole) — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Category: Critical Care Nursing
An IVC diameter of < 10 mm and significant changes in the IVC diameter with positive-pressure ventilation reflect systemic hypovolemia. If the EDD is < 25 mm with hyperdynamic LV systolic function, then significant LV hypovolemia is present.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

noreply@blogger.com (Nurse Nacole) — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Category: Critical Care Nursing
Hypovolemic shock is the result of an absolute or relative decrease in circulating volume secondary to volume loss or maldistribution. Echocardiography can identify intravascular hypovolemia and volume responsiveness using several approaches.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

noreply@blogger.com (Nurse Nacole) — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Category: Critical Care Nursing
LV systolic function is a key element of the ICU echocardiographic examination, it can provide information about the etiology of circulatory or respiratory failure, but it also can be used to guide and monitor ensuing medical management.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Critical Care Nursing

noreply@blogger.com (Nurse Nacole) — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Category: Critical Care Nursing
Imaging of cardiac chamber size is used in conjunction with other measurements to assess qualitatively intravascular volume status. The most common measurements are LV end-diastolic diameter and the left ventricular end-diastolic area.