ventmommy

ventmommy

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About ventmommy

Latest Activity

  1. Families Saying "No" To Male Nurses?

    I fired a male nurse and it had NOTHING to do with gender and everything to do with him sucking as a nurse.
  2. Forced 24 hr shift

    If the patient isn't safe, then call Adult Protective Services.
  3. Forced 24 hr shift

    I'm confused by this entire post because there are absolutely zero hospitals that will discharge a patient without a fully trained caregiver (parent, foster parent, guardian, grandparent, whoever) in the home. Many children's hospitals require a sec...
  4. Black scrubs—help!

    I have dogs and cats. I don't have an assigned color because my hospital lets us wear what we want but I have a lot of black tops and bottoms. I wash my uniforms (and everything I own) with a heavy dose of Downy liquid fabric softener because event...
  5. WILD WORLD OF PDN

    I'm really unimpressed when an MD prescribes an antibiotic without a tracheal aspirate and subsequent sensitivity. The MD needs a lesson in antibiotic stewardship.
  6. WILD WORLD OF PDN

    The only reasonable policy your agency should have regarding trach tube processing is to follow the manufacturer's instructions for use.
  7. WILD WORLD OF PDN

    As a mom, I'd fire the nurse. Touching the tube is a no-no. Her method isn't even a clean procedure. The reasons that we use an obturator: 1. A selling feature of Bivona is that they are super flexible. A downside is that they are super flexible...
  8. Privately hired for trach+vent.

    I think a lot depends on the parents and how comfortable they are having an inexperienced nurse. Vent assessments are more than just checking the settings. If you see that the tidal volume is now 10mL instead of 240 mL (or whatever the expected val...
  9. WILD WORLD OF PDN

    Trach changes anywhere outside of the OR are clean procedures. Bivona has VERY SPECIFIC instructions for how to process their trach tubes in the home setting. I would not recommend using generic trach processing instructions because Bivona trachs a...
  10. Privately hired for trach+vent.

    There is a lot that can harmful. Can you handle an accidental decannulation with a hard-to-replace trach that turns into a code? Are you comfortable with trach care and trach changes independently? Can you replace a Mic-key or know how to keep a s...
  11. Privately hired for trach+vent.

    I would be EXTREMELY nervous to have a trach/vent patient with no experience and not having an agency to back you up. Who are you going to call if you have an urgent question and the parent isn't available? Why don't you want to work for an agency t...
  12. Ventilated Patients

    A patient can be sedated and paralyzed on any mode, or be in such a poor state that they are neither adding rate nor triggering a breath. On a conventional vent, if you are using APRV/Bi-Level, you DO want them to breathe over the vent. On the osci...
  13. Respiratory

    I'm a friendly neighborhood RT! On the jet/oscillator, the MAP and FiO2 are for oxygenation and hertz, Ti, and amplitude (delta P) are for ventilation. For blood gas analysis, I love when an RN wants to know more. I could talk about blood gases al...
  14. Post-Extubation Policy

    Do you have a respiratory therapy department? There are definitely evidence-based best practices for assessing for extubation readiness, extubation, and post-extubation care. Extubation readiness: able to follow commands, off most sedation, minimal ...
  15. What does your username mean?

    It's cool to see who is still here. I saw your post on like page 1 or 2 when this thread started! I'm not a nurse. I wasn't an RT when I joined. I am the mom of vent-dependent child (who has since passed away) and I continue to foster trach and tr...