((Whoops, sorry guys apparently my blog from last week didn't actually get published, so its a bit late. here it is now!))
As mentioned previously, I am currently on placement at ICU. It is a daunting-enough experience to simply LOOK at most patients - ventilated, with drains everywhere and the appearance of what has been fittingly described to me as a "christmas tree". Needless to say I was extremely nervous of treating my first intubated patient, it looked as though to even breath on them might have fatal consequences!!
I learnt one lesson very quickly however. The first time i did MHI and suction a patient, I turned their ventilator off only to find that the tubing was stuck and i couldnt disconnect it to attach the MHI bag!! It took so long that we had to restart the ventilator (so the patient could breath!!) and fix the tubing before beginning again. Following this, I found it took so long to organise suctioning equipment (and took my 2 attempts as it is hard initially to learn the 'clean' method of suctioning) that the pre-oxygenationing effect of MHI had run out by the time i was ready, and we had to pre-oxygenate again prior to suctioning!!
So from now on, I make sure I PREPARE thoroughly before beginning my treatment with intubated patients. I lay out my suctioning equipment (putting on saftey glasses, getting tubing, alcowipes, a box of clean gloves) on the bed to be used immediately following MHI. And before I turn the ventilator off I twist the tubing and loosen it so it can easily be taken apart to attach the MHI bag. I can't stress how much better my treatments are since I have begun this proceedure, and I did pass my final assessment today so it must be good! Furthermore, I feel so much more relaxed and in control of my treatment sessions now.
Taking the time to prepare really does de-stress my treatments!!
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3 comments:
Cheers for the insight on de-stressing yourself. I just started my cardio placement today in ICU and it was a bit confronting. I admit im a bit hesitant about doing my first suction. I will definatly keep your experience in the back of my mind before starting any treatment as I can imagine how stressful it would have been!
I think all of us have experienced problems due to lack of preparation!! It's not just in ICU but in all areas I guess. Try to be as prepared as you can and your treatments will flow a lot better and you'll look a whole lot more professional!!
Its just easier to find the moral of the story quicker when the conciquence is ... ?death! rather than a slightly longer treatment session! haha but i too found the same thing on ICU. its strange how those sort of pracs give you little pearls of wisdom you can take into everyday life!
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