twinkletoes53

twinkletoes53

NICU

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All Content by twinkletoes53

  1. Describe the Ugliest Scrubs You Have Seen!

    twinkletoes53 replied to PacoUSA's topic in Nursing Humor

    A long, long time ago, our hospital decided that all RNs would wear the same scrub design chosen by the hospital. They supplied the scrubs, and we changed when we got to work. First, we wore ceil blue...

  2. Administering flush after a small volume med.

    twinkletoes53 replied to haiku's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    We have a Pharmacy "Black Book" in our unit, with the recommended dilutions for each drug we give, and over how long it should be given. This Helpful book was put together by one of our RNs with a...

  3. When death is imminent (long).........

    twinkletoes53 replied to scoochy's topic in General Nursing

    I agree with you 100%. I have been an RN for 35 years. I work in a NICU, where we frequently have premature babies, or sometimes older, chronic, infants die. Usually the older infants have severe...

  4. Nurses, are you glad that Obamas Healthcare Bill Passed?

    twinkletoes53 replied to Brian's topic in General Nursing

    I am one of the many people who have "pre-existing conditions." I have severe osteoarthritis, and have had multiple orthopedic procedures. I'm also a breast cancer survivor (5 years. Yay!). I first...

  5. Born with Leukemia

    twinkletoes53 replied to acenab4jc's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    Yes, unfortunately we have had a few infants who have been diagnosed with leukemia at birth. Usually it is AML. They are extremely ill and unstable, anwe we place them on strict isolation. If they...

  6. Does anyone else like working night shift besides me?

    twinkletoes53 replied to Joyfullme's topic in General Nursing

    I have worked nights since 1983! I love it.:redbeathe Prior to that, I rotated 8 hour shifts. Day/Evening/Night; also worked straight 3-11 shift for 3 years. Currently I work Weekend Option; 7pm-7am...

  7. I am a 'Cuddler' in the NICU ...anyone else?

    twinkletoes53 replied to NeoRNtobe's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    We have a wonderful, dedicated group of volunteers that come and cuddle our babies. Each of them volunteer for whatever hours they wish; usually a couple of hours 1-2 times/week. We are an extremely...

  8. Gotta Love Parents

    twinkletoes53 replied to helicoptergal's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    They may not have been welcome in the NICU, due to the noise level, but I wonder if your hospital would have allowed them to play in the NICU parent waiting room? Just a

  9. Dual UVC catherter

    twinkletoes53 replied to PremieOne's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    If we have a dual-lumen UVC line, we use the larger lumen for maintenance fluids; if not needed, the 2nd lumen is KVO with a solution such as 1/4NS with 1:1 heparin at 0.5-1ml/hr. I would hate to...

  10. Poll: What do you love about the NICU?

    twinkletoes53 replied to carolina_girl's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    I have worked in NICU for 29 years now. Approximately 2 years ago, a mother phoned me at home. She had seen my name in the paper and looked me up. Twenty years ago, I was the primary nurse for her...

  11. Low census anyone?

    twinkletoes53 replied to Humbled_Nurse's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    We are an 85 bed Level IV NICU, and usually are at full or over capacity. I think the maximum number of babies we had was 88. Two months ago, our census dropped dramaticaly to 55. Staff were freaking...

  12. Prevent Hypothermia PT

    twinkletoes53 replied to sofiam's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    first of all, when the baby is handed to you, you should have pre-warmed blankets in your arms. place the baby on a pre-warmed warmer, dry them off immediately. remove the wet blankets, so infant is...

  13. Free offers for nurses Day/Week

    twinkletoes53 replied to mugwump's topic in Ob/Gyn

    i had their grilled chicken last week, and was surprised at how good it was. i never did care for the fried stuff. the grilled chicken was moist and flavorful. i'm going back for more! happy nurses...

  14. Securing UVC/UAC?

    twinkletoes53 replied to preemieRNkate's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    We use the same type of bridge securement device that you describe. Our doctors do suture the UAC/UVCs in place, then they are looped separately when they are taped. We use the bridge device on all...

  15. feeding problems

    twinkletoes53 replied to carla.hca's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    We limit our po feeding atempts to 25-30 minutes maximum with each baby; otherwise they use more calories than they consume. I have had success with holding the infant upright, and after seeing OT use...

  16. UAC line question

    twinkletoes53 replied to Cassideca's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    We don't use a closed system for UACs in our hospital. We use Heparin flushes attached to our UACs through stopcock. Dilution is 1:1 Heparin with 1/2 or 1/4 NS in a 5 ml. syringe. Each syringe is...

  17. Does anyone use biodiscs on their piccs, umbilical lines?

    twinkletoes53 replied to BittyBabyGrower's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    I tried to click on the link I sent you, and had trouble getting any information there, too. I googled several sites, using difffernt terms, trying to find more information about this dressing. I...

  18. UA/UVC Lines and blue fingers/toes

    twinkletoes53 replied to nicu4me's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    Did the baby have a double-lumen UVC? The Dopamine should have been infusing in a line all by itself, or at least Y'd in with maintenance IV fluids at a steady rate. If your Dopamine infused through a...

  19. 2 different questions for NICU nurses

    twinkletoes53 replied to Lovelymo79's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    I am 5'1". The Incubators we have can be raised or lowered. I do have trouble reaching the IV poles to hang my fluids. Our NICU has several "short person footstools" (my term), and I keep one handy at...

  20. pain management in infants with chest tubes

    twinkletoes53 replied to dopeyrn's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    elizabells, here's a link to a site that describes the pain infants go through during and after circumcision. i'd highlight the pertinent parts, and post it in the mds lounge or conference room,...

  21. therometers

    twinkletoes53 replied to JBKRUM's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    We used to use the IVAC thermometers, but did away with them because of the number of IVACs required, and infection control issues. We are an 85 bed unit, and each IVAC was supposed to be cleaned...

  22. My manager lies, lies, lies

    twinkletoes53 replied to ShayRN's topic in General Nursing

    Maybe you and your co-workers should start documenting, in writing, days, dates, and times of specific instances where you believe that there are discrepancies in your manager's account of incidents....

  23. nursing assistants mixing breastmilk

    twinkletoes53 replied to Lil' sister's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    I work in an 85 bed Level III NICU. We have a full time Lactation Consultant to educate, assist, and support our mothers, plus trained lactation technicians that draw up and add additives, if ordered,...

  24. giving meds that are less than 0.1 cc

    twinkletoes53 replied to nicu4me's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    We dilute our meds that are in micro-doses. The easiest way I have found to do this is to have a second 1ml syringe ready, with approximately 0.3ml of NS in it. For example, if the dose of meds. that...

  25. pain management in infants with chest tubes

    twinkletoes53 replied to dopeyrn's topic in NICU, Neonatal

    studies conducted over the past 2 decades have come to the conclusion that premature babies feel pain, and their responses to undermedicated pain can last a lifetime. here are links to a few sites...