kat9114

I work in an 8 bed CVICU, I wanted to know if anyone else has any experience with patients on ECMO and who is responsible for managing it and if it is the nursing staff what training is provided???

We staff our CVICU with 1:1 for the first 4-6hours post-op, if stable they then could be 2:1. Patients with multiple titrating pressors we try to keep 1:1. VADs are 1:2 post-op for the first 4-8h then always 1:1 until stable. IABP with titrating pressors are 1:1, CVVHD are always 1:1 unless we are desperate. We manage all types of open heart procedures and our patients tend to be of the high risk group.

I am a Pateint Care Coordinator in a busy 8 bed CVICU. We average 4 cases per day. Our acuity tends to be high. I would like to know how others staff their units. We are currently battling with higher hours of care than our administrators would like to see. We feel our staffing actually could be better, that we are not overstaffed. I'm curious to ratios including those with IABP, CVVHD, VADs and multiple pressors. Nurses in my unit are set up to be very autonomous and we utilize only 1 patient care tech and 1 unit clerk. We pull our own central lines, sheaths and PA caths. We are being asked to potentially include chest tube removal as part of our responsibilities. Any info anyone can share would be helpful.

Yes, the only time we float is to an ICU for managing CRRT,IABP when they have no qualified staff. Can you help??

Help!! Can any one talk to me about Closed Staffing Units and how you maintain this? I work in an 8 bed CVICU. We have 30 nurses and have attempted closed staffing for the first time over the last year. This week we OPENED We need to revamp our current On-Call system and hope for better commitment. Any help would be greatly appreciated.