Nursing Care in ICU

Abstract

At a cardiac intensive care unit, working as a team is very important to guarantee the best possible outcome for the patient. Nowadays nurses are one of the most important members of this team. They have to interact with all healthcare professional who are in charge of taking care of the patient. They have to know the basics of anatomy, physiopathology and surgery of patients with congenital heart disease in order to make the best choices and collaborate actively with the care team. Nurses take part in planning patient care together with the intensivist in both the preoperative and the postoperative period. One of the most important duties of nurses is to be able to assist the intensivist and cardiac surgeon in case of emergency. They are required to have a good understanding of the technologies used to sustain vital functions. The nurse must participate actively in the handover of patients from the operating room after surgery and be able to react appropriately to any problem that may occur and have the best passage of information. A correct nutrition is very important for patients with CHD in both the preoperative and the postoperative period. Choosing the correct type of nutrition and the correct administration is the duty of the nurse. A correct nutritional scheme a correct nutritional scheme is important to guarantee the right calorie intake, which helps achieve a better outcome.