ICU study guides

no study guides, but here are some helpful links:

http://www.ccmtutorials.com/ - critical care medicine tutorials for medical students. some of the information here is very scholarly. topics include introduction to critical care, problem orientated approach, respiratory failure, shock, renal failure and sepsis. there is a great deal of information at this site. you have to surf around, especially using the links to see what is there if you don't want to read what is on the entire site. these are links into overviews of some of the topics that might interest you. there is much more specific information on these topics at this site.

http://www.ccmtutorials.com/intro/overview/page_05.htm - acid base balance in critical care medicine, a 32 page document

http://www.ccmtutorials.com/intro/overview/page_04.htm - respiratory failure

http://www.ccmtutorials.com/intro/overview/page_03.htm - sepsis

http://www.ccmtutorials.com/intro/overview/page_02.htm - hemodynamics (shock and hypotension)

http://www.ccmtutorials.com/rs/oxygen/index.htm - all about oxygen, a tutorial about oxygen with a section on pulse oximetry

http://www.icufaqs.org/ - notes on icu nursing. links to icu procedures

http://www.geocities.com/nyerrn/er/procedures.htm - emergency room and icu procedures tutorials links and this link http://www.geocities.com/nyerrn/er/procedures.htm is for nursing procedure in the er

http://www.geocities.com/nyerrn/2/p/video.htm - listing of videos of procedures and skills from er nurse, some paramedic skills here also

http://rnbob.tripod.com/ - nurse bob's micu/icu survival guide

http://enw.org/can'tbreathe.htm (part 1)

http://enw.org/can'tbreatheii.htm (part 2) - "i can't breathe!" 38 respiratory problems in the er. the links are for part 1 and part 2 of this very educational article. scenarios with focus on the problem solving of respiratory problems. each case will tell you what is going on, what needs to be done for the patient immediately and why. (emergency nursing)

http://enw.org/airwaycommandments.htm - the 10 commandments of airway management

http://enw.org/airwayhell.htm - difficult airway management: action-plan for airway problems from hell! more for emergency situations, but good to know what you need to have ready if you're not the one doing the intubating!

http://enw.org/electrolytes.htm - "maintaining the internal seas in harmony: common electrolyte disturbances in the ed" good discussion of dehydration and sodium and potassium electrolyte disturbances. includes discussion of how they occur, signs and symptoms, labs, as well as nursing actions

http://www-test.thoracic.org/assemblies/cc/ccprimer/mainframe2.html - a primer on critical care for patients and their families from the american thoracic society. there is a wealth of information here the includes discussions of the purpose of the intensive care unit, common illnesses of patients in the intensive care units, icu devices and procedures (foleys, stomach tubes, arterial catheters, central venous catheters, right heart catheterization, mechanical ventilation, weaning from the ventilator, tracheostomy, lumbar puncture, paracentesis, thoracentesis, chest tubes, bronchoscopy and hemodialysis), making decisions about the end of life, living wills, medical futility, withdrawal of life-sustaining treatments, commonly asked questions, a guideline to advanced directives

http://www.medicineau.net.au/clinical/icu/procedures/home.html - icu procedures, many links to lots of nursing procedures

http://www.pacep.org/pages/start/ref.html?xin=sccm - this is a free online tutorial on how to use the pulmonary artery catheter in the clinical environment. you have to register to access this tutorial, but it is free.

http://classes.kumc.edu/son/nurs420/unit4/hemomon.html - an short explanation of central venous pressure measurement (right atrial pressure). from the university of kansas medical center.

http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/anesthesiology-elective/airway/airwayintro.cfm - airway management tutorial for medical students and surgical residents. from the university of virginia school of medicine anesthesia department. includes cardiac and hemodynamic monitoring. has information on respiratory physiology including acid-base balance, indications for intubations and how to intubate, central venous catheterization and pulmonary catheterization and complications

http://www.4um.com/tutorial/index.htm - index of tutorials in anesthesia and intensive care medicine. topics include albumin, low molecular weight heparin, gas laws, pharmokinetics, adrenal disorders, atrial fib, coagulation disorders, diabetic emergencies, hypertension, local anesthestics, malignant hyperthermia, rapid sequence induction, how to approach icu patients, hemodynamics and shock, intubation and ventilation, mechanical ventilation, right ventricular infarction, sepsis and soft tissue infections in the icu including necrotising fasciitis

http://students.med.nyu.edu/erclub/ekgexpl0.html - er club. here is a short tutorial on how to read an ekg. click on the arrows at the bottom of each page to continue through the tutorial.

http://www.skillstat.com/sixsecondecg.htm - six second ekg workbook online. lot of good information including pictures, pictures to label and quizzes.

http://www-medlib.med.utah.edu/kw/ecg/index.html - an excellent online tutorial with diagrams on everything you want to know about ekg interpretation from the university of utah school of medicine. also has quizzes! geared for physicians, but nurses can get information from this also.

http://library.med.utah.edu/kw/ecg/ecg_outline/index.html

http://www.12leadecg.com/intro/ - introduction to 12-lead ecg, the art of interpretation online companion website for the book. you can view ekgs. there are also online flashcards you can view to quiz yourself on information about the electrical system of the heart. they are organized by chapters of the book.

http://www.nursewise.com/courses/crit_cvdrugs_hour.htm - drugs used in cardiology care written by a nurse for nurses

http://www.kauaicc.hawaii.edu/nursing/ekg/tutorial/tutorial.htm ekg interpretation for healthcare professionals from kaua'i community college nursing school

http://www.kauaicc.hawaii.edu/nursing/ekg/tutorial/lytes.htm - electrolyte and medications: effect on ekgs from kaua'i community college nursing school is just one section from the above site

http://learn.sdstate.edu/nursing/ecg.htm - cardiac arrhythmias. a 66-page slide show presentation from dr. gloria craig at south dakota state university school of nursing. this is a very nice, simple explanation of the ekg with corresponding egk tracings. there are animations of the electrical conduction pathway for the various arrhythmias to help show what is going on to create the ekg tracing you see on paper. this is a very nice tutorial that addresses the normal sinus rhythm, sinus bradycardia and tachycardia, premature atrial contractions,atrial tachycardia, atrial flutter, atrial fibrillation, premature junctional contractions, junctional tachycardia, first, second and third degree blocks, premature ventricular contractions (pvcs), ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation and asystole.

http://www.gwc.maricopa.edu/class/bio202/cyberheart/cardio.htm - - cyberheart from professor crimando at gateway community college in phoenix, az. ekg review and an animated heart quiz.

http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/anesthesiology-elective/cardiac/cvcphys.cfm - the physiology of central venous catheter from the university of virginia school of medicine. check the site index for videos of procedures

https://nursing.advanceweb.com/common/ce/content.aspx?courseid=362&creditid=1&cc=48817&sid=1390 - hemodynamic monitoring: techniques and troubleshooting, an update continuing education article from advance for nurses.

http://www.efn.org/~nurses/ - this is a website maintained by the nursing students at lane community college in eugene, oregon. has a power point presentation about central lines at the site. click on "invasive lines" at the left side of this web page to view it. it comes up as a pop-up window, so you may have to enable pop-ups to view it.

http://www.venousaccess.com/venous-access.htm - central venous access. a website with all kinds of information about the various types of central venous lines, the procedures to insert them, complications and care and maintenance.

http://www.rncentral.com/library/clinical/clc.html - a chart of central line procedures (flushing, tubing changes, dressing changes) for percutaneous catheters (i.e. subclavian lines), p.i.c.c. lines, tunneled catheters and implanted ports

http://www.thoracic.org/sections/education/patient-education/patient-education-materials/patient-information-series/mechanical-ventilation.html - a 2-page patient information sheet about mechanical ventilation from the american thoracic society patient information series. includes discussion about it being life-sustaining treatment and the patient making their wishes known regarding the possibility of this treatment.

http://www.thoracic.org/sections/education/patient-education/patient-education-materials/patient-information-series/arterial-catheterization.html - a 2-page patient information sheet on arterial catheterization, why it is done and the risks. by the american thoracic society.

http://www.thoracic.org/sections/education/patient-education/patient-education-materials/patient-information-series/chest-tube-thoracostomy.html - a 2-page patient information sheet on chest tube insertion, why it is done, the risks and simplistic explanation of how it is helping the patient. by the american thoracic society patient information series.