Monday, February 08, 2010
Post-op Care for Pituitary Tumor
Your patient Mr. Lett has had a transsphenoidal resection of a pituitary tumor. As his nurse, an important nursing assessment to make is:
Monday, February 01, 2010
You are a leader
As a staff nurse, you are a leader; you lead your peers, you lead your patients, you lead your institution, and you lead society. So, the question isn't whether or not you are going to be a leader, it is simply whether you are going to be a good one!
Monday, January 25, 2010
Heparin-induced Thrombocytopenia
Thrombocytopenias are a collection of conditions that cause the platelet count to decrease. There are many ways that platelets can become activated and depleted in the clotting process. The most common reasons for drops in platelet counts are depletion from pre-existing conditions such as sepsis, trauma, or surgery. Approximately 5% of patients that receive heparin will develop an immune response that activates platelets causing life-threatening clotting and occasional bleeding. This condition is called heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.