The Critical Care Nurse --- Education and Experience --- Standards, Organizations, and Certification: Promoting Excellence --- Communication and Health Care Team Members: Calling the Shots --- Defining the Critical Care Nurse --- Regulatory Issues That Impact the Critical Care Environment --- Future Challenges for the Critical Care Nurse --- New to ICU Nursing --- Team Rounding --- Setting Boundaries With Patients --- Challenging Situations in the ICU --- Common Advanced Directives --- Assessing the ICU Patient --- Starting Your Shift --- The Handoff Process --- How to Prepare for an Admissions Assessment --- How to Perform a Comprehensive Assessment --- How to Perform an Ongoing Assessment --- How to Assess the Sedated Patient --- Assessing a Patient Receiving Neuromuscular Blocking Medication --- Medications --- Medication Administration in the ICU --- Medication and the Critically Ill Patient --- How Medication Works --- Therapeutic Effectiveness of Medication --- Bioavailability --- Medication Pathway --- The Challenges of Medicating Critically Ill Patients --- ICU Medications --- How to Manage Pain --- Insights Into Pain --- Opioids --- Nonopioid Analgesic Medications --- Sedative Medication --- Agitation and the Use of Sedative Medication --- Sedative Medications --- Other Sedative Medications --- Inotropic Medications --- Vasopressor Medication --- The Use of Vasopressors to Manage Blood Pressure --- Managing Patient Lines --- Neuromuscular Blocking Medications --- Safe Administration of Neuromuscular Blocking Agents --- Measuring Paralysis --- Antiarrhythmic Medications --- Care of the Patient With Critical Respiratory Needs --- Anatomy and Physiology --- Assessment Skills for the High-Risk Respiratory Patient --- Collaborative Diagnostic Tools --- Oxygen Delivery Systems --- Advanced Airway Techniques --- What Is Mechanical Ventilation? --- Commonly Used Respiratory Medications in Critical Care for the Patient on MV --- Respiratory Conditions Requiring Critical Care --- Care of the Patient With Critical Cardiac and Vascular Needs --- Anatomy and Physiology of the Cardiovascular System --- Assessment Skills --- Collaborative Diagnostic and Laboratory Tools --- Advanced Procedural Skills --- Cardiovascular Medications Used in Critical Care --- Medical CV Conditions Requiring Critical Care --- Surgical CV Conditions Requiring Critical Care --- Care of the Patient With Critical Cardiac Rhythm Disturbance Needs --- Assessment Skills --- Cardiac Electrophysiology --- How Does Cardiac Monitoring Really Work? --- So What Do These Systems “See”? --- So How Does a Nurse Do Detective Work on These Rhythm Strips? --- Types of Basic Rhythms --- Where Do 12-Lead ECGs Enter the Picture? --- Special Cardiac Devices to Help Maintain the Patient’s Rhythm --- Cardiac Arrest: Your Worst Nightmare --- Care of the Patient With Neurologic Needs --- Anatomy and Physiology of the Nervous System --- Neurologic Needs: Assessment --- Normal Pupils --- Assessment of Eye Movements or Extraocular Movements (EOMs) --- Oculocephalic Reflex or Doll’s Eye Movements --- Oculovestibular Reflex or Cold Caloric Test --- Respiratory Patterns --- Additional Assessments --- Palpation --- Percussion—Deep Tendon Reflexes --- Other Responses --- Auscultation --- Collaborative Diagnostic Tools --- Medications That Help With Symptoms --- Medical Conditions Requiring Complex Care --- Surgical Conditions Requiring Complex Neurologic Care --- Care of the Traumatized Patient --- Mechanisms of Injury (MOI) --- Classification of Injuries --- Evaluating Reports From the Field --- Trauma Center Levels and Classifications --- Medications Used in Trauma Care --- Fluid Volume Replacement (FVR) --- Care of the Patient With Specific Traumatic Injuries According to the ABCs of Trauma Assessment --- Care of the Patient With Endocrine Disorders --- Major Organs of the Endocrine System to Be Addressed --- Review Questions --- Answers --- Care of the Patient With Critical Renal Needs --- Anatomy and Physiology of the Renal System --- Assessment Skills --- Collaborative Diagnostic and Laboratory Tools --- Medications Commonly Used in Critical Care --- Dialysis --- Acute and Chronic Renal Failure --- Review Questions --- Answers --- Care of the Patient With Critical Hematologic Needs --- Anatomy and Physiology of the Hematologic System --- Assessment Skills --- Collaborative Diagnostic and Laboratory Tools --- Medications Commonly Used in Critical Care That Affect the Hematologic System --- Blood Products Used for Hematologic Problems --- Medical Conditions That Require Critical Care --- Review Questions --- Answers --- Care of the Patient With COVID-19 Virus --- Anatomy and Physiology of COVID Virus --- Phases of COVID-19 Virus Infection --- Assessment Skills --- Collaborative Diagnostic and Laboratory Tools --- Precautions --- Treatment --- Progressive Support for Respiratory Distress --- Prevention --- COVID-19 Vaccination --- COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects --- Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) --- Blood Clot Complications --- Review Questions --- Answers --- Final Exam Questions --- Correct Answers and Rationales --- Appendix: ICU Procedures

"Critical Care Nursing Demystified serves as a guide to professional nurses who are considering a switch from their current field of nursing to that of critical care. It is also a helpful reference source to student nurses who are entering their upper-level education courses and to those nurse educators seeking to clarify, simplify, and reduce the torment of presenting complicated and difficult critical care concepts. This book has been developed to lessen one's stress level easing the transition into critical care nursing. This book is designed to be user-friendly featuring organized chapters that focus on Lesson objectives and key terms that the nurse will use Brief overviews of basic anatomy and physiology of target organ systems. Vignettes of actual nursing situations that substantiate true life-learning experiences encountered in the workplace. Detailed health assessments using the body systems approach. Diagnostic studies utilized to confirm an illness. Common critical procedures performed. Current medications used in the treatment of the critical care patient. Implementation of the nursing process to identify and solve problems concerning patients. Accompanying questions and answers cap the end of each chapter and the end of the book using the NCLEX style. They include review questions that challenge the nurse to increase and strengthen critical thinking abilities. Entering the world of critical care nursing is an interesting, exciting time for nurses who are making this decision. It is a journey that can produce anxiety and tension. The authors believe that this transition should be smooth, seamless, comfortable, and less of a mystery to those who pursue this nursing specialty, so fear not and become demystified!"-- Provided by publisher.