Preload and Afterload of Heart

It is true that the basic function of heart is to pump blood and supply oxygenated blood to body tissues, but in reality, the heart is a complex body organ and so many factors determine how much blood is pumped through the body. Preload and afterload are two determinants of how much blood the heart pumps in a minute (cardiac output).

What is cardiac output?

The volume of blood pumped by the heart per minute is its cardiac output. It is measured in mL blood/min. Cardiac output refers to the function of stroke volume and heart rate. The heart rate refers

to the number of times your heart beats in a minute. The stroke volume refers to how much blood get pumped out of heart with each beat. Cardiac output will increase if stroke volume or heart rate increases.

Monitoring Temperature Using an Overhead Radiant Warmer

Neonates, infants who are exposed to stressors or chilling (e.g., from undergoing numerous procedures), and infants who have an underlying condition that interferes with thermoregulation (e.g., prematurity) are highly susceptible to heat loss. Therefore, radiant warmers are used for infants who have trouble maintaining body temperature. In addition, use of a radiant warmer minimizes the oxygen and calories that the infant would expend to maintain body temperature, thereby minimizing the effects of body temperature changes on metabolic activity.

An overhead radiant warmer warms the air to provide a neutral thermal environment, one that is neither too warm nor too cool for the patient. The incubator temperature is adjusted to maintain an anterior abdominal skin temperature of 36.5°C (97.7°F), but at least 36°C (96.8°F), using Servocontrol (automatic thermostat) (Sinclair, 2002).

Roles and Functions of the Nurse

Ms Phina TOUCH, NICU nurse/Cambodia;

Nurses assume a number of roles when they provide care to clients. Nurses often carry out these roles concurrently, not exclusively of one another. For example, nurse may act as a counselor while providing physical care and teaching aspects of that care. The roles required at a specific time depend on the needs of the client and aspects of the particular environment. 
The following are the roles and functions of nurse:

Caregiver

The caregiver role has traditionally included those activities that assist the client physically and psychologically while preserving the clients’ dignity. The required nursing actions may involve full care for the completely dependent client, partial care the partially dependent client, and supportive-educative care to assist clients attaining their highest possible level of health and wellness. Caregiving encompasses the physical, psychological, developmental, cultural, and spiritual levels. The nursing process provides nurses with a framework for providing care. A nurse may provide care directly or delegate it to other caregivers.

What Kind of Care Do Preterm Babies Need?

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Q: What kind of care do preterm babies need?   

Babies who are born preterm need the same care that other babies get and even a little more.This includes:

• Essential newborn care:

o All babies need to be protected from infections: everyone who touches the mother or the baby should have clean hands. Medical examinations and procedures should only be done if necessary. Sterile gloves and cutting devices should be used for clamping and cutting the umbilical cord.

Effective Communication Techniques in Medical Emergency

Effective communication is a two-way process that involves sending the right message in the right way that is correctly received and understood. It sounds like an easy process. In fact, people communicate every day in many ways. But is this communication always effective?

Research suggests that much of our communication is not effective. In 2004, The Joint Health Care Commission found that in 70% of 2455 sentinel events the primary root cause was communication failure — and in 75% of these the patient died.

Because effective communication is so important to patient safety, many agencies have mandated that organizations implement improvement strategies. Tools such as SBAR (situation, background, assessment and recommendation), call out, check back, and handoff have all been suggested as ways to improve staff’s communication.

What Is Special Care Baby Unit?

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A Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) is a specialist ward that a baby will be admitted onto if it requires medical help after birth. It may also be known as a neonatal unit (NNU).

Babies placed on SCBU will require care that is less intensive than the treatment provided in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Therefore, some babies may enter SCBU after receiving treatment in NICU, or may be admitted straight to SCBU if their condition from birth has been less critical.

The SCBU is staffed by specialised paediatricians and paediatric nurses. The equipment on SCBU includes incubators, radiant warmers and a range of machinery that will monitor vital signs such as heart and breathing activity.

Additionally, the temperature within SCBU is usually cooler than NICU, and some SCBUs may feature an even cooler room to help acclimatise a baby to the temperatures it will experience when he or she is allowed home.

What You Need to Know about IV Cannula

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The intravenous cannula is used by medical personnel to access the vein of patient, either for injecting medicine or withdrawing blood. This is commonly known as an IV. It is made in different gauge sizes. The smaller the gauge number, the bigger the needle will be. As a new nurse, you may find it difficult to spot its’ differences. Luckily, most manufacturers color code their IV needles. Here’s a little rhyme you can use to help you remember what colors correspond to what sized gauge: 22 is blue and 18 is green, pink is the one in the middle. However, there are other IV gauge sizes besides these.

      Gauge sizes, Color code and Recommended uses