Monitoring the Critically Ill Patient

Monitoring the Critically Ill Patient is an invaluable, accessible guide to caring for critically ill patients on the general ward. Now fully updated and improved throughout, this well-established and handy reference guide text assumes no prior knowledge and equips students and newly-qualified staff with the clinical skills and knowledge they need to confidently monitor patients at risk, identify key priorities, and provide prompt and effective care.

This new edition includes the following five new chapters:

• Monitoring the critically ill child
• Monitoring the critically ill pregnant patient
• Monitoring the patient with infection and related systemic inflammatory response
• Monitoring a patient receiving a blood transfusion
• Monitoring pain

Foreword vii

Preface ix

Contributors xi

1 Recognition and Management of the Deteriorating Patient 1

2 Assessment of the Critically Ill Patient 25

3 Monitoring Respiratory Function 39

4 Monitoring Cardiovascular Function 1: ECG Monitoring 91

5 Monitoring Cardiovascular Function 2: Haemodynamic Monitoring 115

6 Monitoring Neurological Function 154

7 Monitoring Renal Function 177

8 Monitoring Gastrointestinal Function 197

9 Monitoring Hepatic Function 209

10 Monitoring Endocrine Function 218

11 Monitoring Nutritional Status 231

12 Monitoring Temperature 244

13 Monitoring Pain 258

14 Monitoring a Patient Receiving a Blood Transfusion 267

15 Monitoring the Patient with Infection and Related Systemic Inflammatory Response 281

16 Monitoring the Critically Ill, Pregnant Patient 302

17 Monitoring the Critically Ill Child 320

18 Monitoring During Transport 336

19 Record Keeping 346

Index 355

“This would be a helpful guide for nurses working in any acute setting; acute wards, coronary care, critical care outreach or the emergency department. It is also a good introductory tool for critical care nurses explaining the principles of assessment, different types of invasive monitoring and waveforms and so on.” (Nursing Times, 17 October 2012)

Philip Jevon is Resuscitation Officer/Clinical Skills Lead, Manor Hospital, Walsall. He is Honorary Clinical Lecturer at Birmingham Medical School, and Editor of The British Journal of Resuscitation

Beverley Ewens is Nurse Manager in Critical Care at Joondalup Health Campus, Perth, Western Australia. She is an ALS instructor and Course Director for the ALERT course at Walsall.