Icu Reflection Paper

Medical and technological advances have led to greater survival rates in individuals suffering from various illness and injury throughout history. This includes individuals who suffer traumatic and nontraumatic brain injuries. Approximately 1.5 million people in the United States sustain a brain injury each year with the survival rate of over 90 percent making brain injury the leading cause for disability in the United States. (Mysiw, Bogner, Corrigan, Fugate, Clinchot, & Kadyan 2006). Cognitive, physical, sensory and behavioral changes are widely noted in individuals in the months and years following a brain injury. However, the psychosocial, psychological and emotional effects of these injuries are less discussed and therefore these aspects can be overlooked when anticipating a course of treatment. Individuals who sustain acquired brain injuries experience significant, lasting impairment in the psychosocial, psychological and emotional aspects of their lives and better understanding of these issues can lead to better treatment and coping skills for these individuals.

A traumatic brain injury (“TBI”) occurs when the brain is somehow injured, rattled, or wounded from an external source of force. The means of acquisition and the severity of TBIs are unique to each patient; therefore, symptoms and rehabilitation can vary greatly depending on the patient’s condition following the incident and how they sustained the injury. The severity of a TBI is generally classified into one of three categories: mild, moderate, or severe, and this type of diagnostic criteria influences how a patient with TBI is treated by medical staff and rehabilitation specialists. TBIs can affect a specific part of the brain that was directly impacted, leaving the patients with only one or a few areas of impairment, or the damage can

Hello Students, my name is Teresa Damien MS, APRN-BC. I have been a registered nurse for over a decade and currently practice as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner at an academic institution clinically focused in addiction psychiatry. I have worked in multiple areas of nursing over my career prior to mental health that include medical-surgical nursing, respiratory nursing, hospice nursing, home care pedicatric nursing, and nursing education.

A traumatic brain injury (“TBI”) occurs when the brain is somehow injured, rattled, or wounded from an external source of force. The means of acquisition and the severity of TBIs are unique to each patient; therefore, symptoms and rehabilitation can vary greatly depending on the patient’s condition following the incident and how they sustained the injury. The severity of a TBI is generally classified into one of three categories: mild, moderate, or severe, and this type of diagnostic criteria influences how a patient with TBI is treated by medical staff and rehabilitation specialists. TBIs can affect a specific part of the brain that was directly impacted, leaving the patients with only one or a few areas of impairment, or the damage can

Considering no two brain injuries are the same, treatment is stipulated accordingly. In the case of mild injury management, it is fairly low maintenance, requiring a lot of rest and over-the-counter pain medicine. However, the patient must be monitored religiously in case of worsening or new symptoms where immediately medical attention is vital. Once cleared by a doctor, the patient steadily returns to their normal schedules. Immediately after moderate and severe injuries, treatment is concentrated on prevention of secondary damage resulting from inflammation, bleeding, or reduced oxygen supply to the brain. Medications prescribed to diminish chance of secondary loss include diuretics, anti-seizure drugs, and coma-inducing drugs. Surgery is crucial in removing hematomas (clotted blood), repairing skull fractures, and opening a window in the skull in order to relieve pressure and allow room for swelling. A large part of treatment is rehabilitation. The goal is to get patients back to their normal daily routines. Rehab usually

1. Family members of a patient who has a traumatic brain injury ask the nurse about the purpose

Signs and symptoms of a traumatic brain injury can be difficult to diagnose. Many of the signs and symptoms vary from person to person or they can take up to a couple of weeks before they surface (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2007). The signs and symptoms can range from minor signs like blurred vision to more serious signs like loss of consciousness. The signs and symptoms of a traumatic brain injury include: Headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting (Clayton, 1995), unaware of place and time (Farrow, 2004), temporary or prolonged loss of consciousness, amnesia (memory loss), emotional instability, dilated pupils (Levy, 1993), balance problems, blurry vision, sensitivity to light and noise, sluggish or groggy feeling, or concentration problems (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2007). If an athlete has these symptoms they should get immediate medical attention. However, most of these symptoms can be signs of another health problem so they may not have a traumatic brain injury with these

Initially the person affected should be removed from any strenuous work and told to rest. Sleep is the best remedy at this stage, as well as keeping their mind as relaxed as possible so things such as video games and T.V should be avoided to help your brain naturally try to reset itself. In the Army we take a test prior to brain injuries to create a baseline that can be reviewed after incidents involving TBI's to see if there was any long term change. Acute treatment consist of drugs to keep the person in a drug induced coma to prevent secondary injuries and help their bodies try to heal from the trauma, and this can also include devices to ventilate the patient if they can no longer breath on their own. Surgical means are typically for open head injuries but can also be implemented if there is pressure building up in the cranium. In the military given the prevalence of IED's in the battle field the army got together to make the MACE exam for quick assessment of those exposed to explosions or

A Glasgow Coma Score of 8 or less also is an indication that the patient will need to be intubated soon. Once the tube is placed the ventilation may be useful in controlling the intracranial pressure as an intervention. Hyperventilation is a method used to reduce the carbon dioxide concentration in the vessels causing vasoconstriction which lessens the amount of blood circulating in the brain resulting in a decreased ICP (Zink and McQuillan, 2005). According to Zink and McQuillan, this intervention should only be utilized 24 hours after the initial injury because cerebral blood flow is often reduced at this point and constricting the vessels more may cause ischemia to occur. While using this technique it is important to monitor oxygenation to the brain tissue to assure no irreparable damage is

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of death and disability among children, adolescents, and adults (Trudel, Scherer, & Elias, 2009, p.41). There are close to 1.4 million individuals a year who are treated with a TBI. Out of this 50,000 of them die. That is 1 out of every 28 people treated for a TBI dies every year. Another 6 out of 28 people are admitted into medical facilities for longer-term care. These number do not take in account the number of people each year with TBI’s who go untreated. However, TBI’s had received little to no support publicly or policy wise until recent years. This increase in attention was due to the increase in TBI’s among military personnel returning home from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Traumatic brain injuries, or TBI, are the leading cause of death in children and young adults globally. Of the people who survive, most live a drastically

Intracranial pressure stands as the compression in the inner part of the skull, in the brain tissue, and the cerebrospinal fluid. On the other hand, in a situation whereby the individual has an enormous bleeding, contusion, and brain laceration, which possibly will necessitate surgical interventions. The initial intervention is to physiologically stabilize the patient by monitoring the patient blood pressure and oxygen; given pain medication and complementary oxygen; treating seizures or fever, offering sedation and mechanical support for

Doctors, teachers, cognitive therapists, and health care professionals don 't always recognize or properly diagnose the problems that arise for a traumatic brain injured individual: moreover, the intellectual who has suffered a traumatic brain injury does not receive

Traumatic Brain injury, or TBI, is a common, yet extremely dangerous, type of injury. “In 2010, about 2.5 million emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations, or deaths were associated with TBI—either alone or in combination with other injuries—in the United States” (CDC). Traumatic Brain injury is usually defined as a violent shaking that occurs within the brain and it often occurs when there is a direct hit to the head or body. TBI “can affect motor, sensory, cognitive, and behavioral functioning” (AOTA), making daily tasks challenging or ultimately somewhat impossible. TBI’s are commonly classified by severity of the injury; mild being “a brief change in mental status or consciousness” and severe meaning

The nursing profession has been around for a very long time. Through many changes and reforms, it has drastically evolved into the nursing profession we have today. Nurses have an important role within the healthcare industry in the treatment and medical care of the sick. These trusted healthcare professionals continue to make up the largest majority of the healthcare field, as well as the fastest growing occupation. Nursing is a job that allows people to not only care for the sick but also to experience, learn and further their interest in the human body. This course has definitely provided me an insight to the roots of the profession I would like to pursue. I think it is important to know the history of nursing to understand fully on the problems that are affecting the profession. I believe that we cannot effectively address important issues without a foundation of historical knowledge. In other words, by examining the nursing history, I will be able to appreciate my important role as a nurse in the healthcare system. The topics I will be including in my reflection are the works of Florence Nightingale, the affects of World War II, the challenges of Filipinos aspiring to be nurses, and excerpts in Chapter 10 of “A History of American Nursing.”