Other Side of the Room
Other Side of the Room by: Chelsea Epling June 20, 2021, I received my hardest patient to date, the one that will stick with me for the rest of my life. The report we received was of a 61-year-old male who underwent cardiac arrest at home, without CPR for approximately 20 minutes. When EMS arrived, […]
Arterial Lines: Let’s Take This Up a Dicrotic Notch
If you haven’t been able to tell by now, hemodynamics is one of my favorite critical care concepts. In a previous blog article, “Arterial Lines 101”, I discussed the basics; what your A-line should look like, what each point means, and how to tell if you are over or under dampened. This blog will kick […]
Failing to Succeed
Failing to Succeed By Chelsea Epling, RN, BSN, MCCN, EMT-P Many times in life we fail. We fail a test, we fail at a relationship, we fail to reach a goal, we fail to lose weight, sometimes we fail to wake up on time for work. What I’ve come to learn, is that the only […]
100% Silent
100% Silent Chelsea Epling, BSN, RN, MCCN, EMT-P I figured I’d start this one out with a disclosure. This is going to be more geared towards the nurses than it is toward the medics. Let’s face it, you all are just initially better trained on ventilators than we are. Take a look at my experience. […]
Complacency is a Death Sentence
by Chelsea Epling, BSN, RN, MCCN, EMT-P Scenarios You’re in the ICU, on shift 4 of 4, you’re tired, your patient assignment has been less than ideal this week. Alcohol withdrawals, overdoses, getting kicked at, screamed at and occasionally spit on because the patient doesn’t like being attached to every cord and IV line you’re […]
Arterial Lines 101
Arterial lines, commonly referred to as “A-lines,” are a type of catheter that is inserted into a patient’s artery for more accurate and precise blood pressure monitoring. The arterial line is connected to a transducer that will transmit a pressure waveform and its corresponding values to a monitoring system. While these invasive lines may be […]