Physical Restraint in Critical Care

[Yuval Zelkind]

I would like to ask a question about tying up the patient staying in the intensive care unit. How to deal with the problem of pulling out the pipes of catheters, tubuses, ALines and all kinds of other essential devices. The nursing staff in Israel ties the patients' hands to the bed using delicate straps made of fabric. 

Do the nursing staff elsewhere use more advanced methods? What method is used in your hospital?

[offlabel]

Mostly these in the ICU's. Mostly with sedation. 

[Nurse Lexi]

Soft bilateral wrist restraints along with Precedex or some IVP PRN medications.

[Okami_CCRN, BSN, RN]

We typically try to avoid physical restraint in my critical care unit and have pretty good luck with intravenous sedation. However, if the need arises we will start off with bilateral mittens if the patient is just touching or reaching, but not actually grabbing (just needs re-direction). As others mentioned sometimes for those actively trying to pull lines bilateral soft wrist restraints are the next appropriate choice. 

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                          Mittens