Art Lines in High Acuity

[Savanna8]

Hi. Wondering if anyone has worked in a surgical high acuity unit that does art line monitoring? We just opened up a high acuity unit that includes cardiac monitoring and now the question has come up whether or not art lines are appropriate. This unit is staffed 1:2.

[offlabel]

It's less of an issue *that* the patient has an A line than why. No reason why one RN couldn't have 2 stable patients with A lines, tho if an RN had 2 patients without you'd have to wonder why they were not split evenly. Unfortunately A lines have become 'code' for sick patient and that is not always the case. Staff according to acuity, not monitoring modality.