Cardiac nurses - contact me please

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Specializes in Oral care, diabetes, caries management.

I'm looking to converse I promise not to take up much time.:twocents:

I'm recording a CEU video next month and I don't want to sound stupid.

Thank you.

Shirley Gutkowski, RDH, BSDH, FACE:specs:

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Specializes in Public Health, TB.

You can PM me if you'd like.

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Specializes in Oral care, diabetes, caries management.

Well, I fau paxed (how do you spell faux pas?)

Because I cannot ask you to email me privately outside of this platform I'll have to do this publicly and either give some people an eyefull, or educate them. :yawn:

With respect to cardiac patients, rather people with cardiovacular disease, how do you handle dental/oral evaluation?

do you not do it?

do you refer?

do you look in the mouth and make a recommendation?

do you ask the person if they have a regular dentist/hygienist whom they see regularly?

do you even know what I'm talking about?

Shirley Gutkowski, RDH, BSDH, FACE:smokin:

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Specializes in Oral care, diabetes, caries management.
You can PM me if you'd like.

I haven't posted 15 times so I'm barred from PM people. Thanks for the invite though.

Shirley Gutkowski, RDH, BSDH, FACE

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Specializes in Cardiac, Step-Down, Psych, Recruiting.

Unfortunately, speaking for myself and most cardiac nurses I'm familiar with, we just don't do it. I know that there is a relationship between oral infections and cardiac issues, it just tends to be lost in a hospital setting. I think a CEU on the subject would be very helpful.

Maybe information on how to spot oral disease would be helpful. Also, encouragement to refer client's to dental providers and encourage regular dental care should be part of our discharge process.

Interesting subject!

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Specializes in Cardiac.

The CVCU that I work in requires all prospective open-heart patient's to have a dental exam, or provide proof that they have seen a dentist within the last 6 months. Aside from these surgical patients, we have yet to address dental issues.

Hope this helps! I'll be interested to hear more on this topic!

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Specializes in Public Health, TB.

Nope, we don't do a dental/oral eval. on a regular basis. It can be challenging just to get people to brush their teeth! And I'm not sure what we would do about abnormal findings unless it something like an obvious case of thrush. Pts with endocarditis have had extractions prior to valve replacement.

Our pt population is mainly 60 and older. If they aren't taking care of their teeth by now, they probably don't have any left.

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Specializes in Oral care, diabetes, caries management.
Nope, we don't do a dental/oral eval. on a regular basis. It can be challenging just to get people to brush their teeth! And I'm not sure what we would do about abnormal findings unless it something like an obvious case of thrush. Pts with endocarditis have had extractions prior to valve replacement.

Our pt population is mainly 60 and older. If they aren't taking care of their teeth by now, they probably don't have any left.

Here's the thing, a person with 20 teeth and a moderate periodontal infection has a wound equal in surface area to the palm of your hand. What would you do for a person with a chronic wound of that size?

I'm not sure a lot of dentists or hygienists have a full understanding of that either. :redpinkhe

Shirley Gutkowski, RDH, BSDH, FACE

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Specializes in Public Health, TB.

If I had a pt with a chronic wound the size of of my palm I would report it to the primary doc and request a wound nurse consult. They would probably get an ID and perhaps plastics consult, debridement, wound VAC and antibiotics, all of which are out of my scope of practice.

I understand the importance of dental care, and I can advise dental care and ask for referrals, but that is about my limit in the acute care setting. I have never seen a dental hygienist come to the hospital.

And again, speaking as someone who's s/o has not been to a dentist in 20 years, you can advise and refer until you are blue in the face, some people just won't go.

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Specializes in Oral care, diabetes, caries management.

Excellent, thanks for that info.

Hygienists aren't invited in to hospitals nor can they practice under a physician (sort of) at this time.

this is the kind of information I was hoping to get, the inside scoop.

Shirley Gutkowski, RDH, BSDH, FACE

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Specializes in Oral care, diabetes, caries management.

Course title. I'm struggling a little with a title for this course. It will be available at the medical side of dentaledu.tv, I can't think of the site name right now, it's not medicaledu.tv I'm pretty sure.

Anyway, I'm wondering if you'd choose a course with a title like Applied Periodontal Science.

I have snazzier titles but I don't know how fun titles are accepted in medical.

Shirley Gutkowski, RDH, BSDH, FACE

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Specializes in Public Health, TB.

Can't say that course title would snag me. Something with "patho" or "pathophys" or "cardiac" might pique my interest.

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