MarkHammerschmidt

Latest Activity

1. What would you do for this patient?

   MarkHammerschmidt replied to UM Review RN's topic in CCU, Coronary, Cardiac

   It's simple enough - slowing a patient's rate when they're in rapid AF or whatever gives them better chamber filling time, so their pressure improves. Breaking the AF will also give them back their...

2. Iabp

   MarkHammerschmidt replied to bullseye's topic in MICU, SICU

   Sure. Afterload is just SVR, which you get from your PA line numbers. Augmentation you measure manually on a printout, or by using a cursor on a screen-freeze, it's the difference between the...

3. Is there a max dose of Levophed?

   MarkHammerschmidt replied to KevinS's topic in MICU, SICU

   We go as high as 100mcg/min, straight drip. This is usually a terminal situation

4. New Graduates In The Icu?

   MarkHammerschmidt replied to Aaron Catmull's topic in General Nursing

   I can't get past the feeling that a new grad has enough on their plate just learning the basics of practice, without the added stress of the ICU. There are lots of pros and cons to this, lots of...

5. New Graduates In The Icu?

   MarkHammerschmidt replied to Aaron Catmull's topic in MICU, SICU

   I can't get past the feeling that a new grad has enough on their plate just learning the basics of practice, without the added stress of the ICU. There are lots of pros and cons to this, lots of...

6. "Slow" codes

   MarkHammerschmidt replied to txdude35's topic in MICU, SICU

   Another aspect... suppose an attending made a "wrong" call, and "allowed" a "clearly terminal" patient to pass away, possibly in good faith that everyone in the family had been in agreement... and...

7. "Slow" codes

   MarkHammerschmidt replied to txdude35's topic in General Nursing

   Another aspect... suppose an attending made a "wrong" call, and "allowed" a "clearly terminal" patient to pass away, possibly in good faith that everyone in the family had been in agreement... and...

8. Can't believe they do CRRT this way...

   MarkHammerschmidt replied to jbp0529's topic in MICU, SICU

   I think your concerns are totally on the money, and the resistance you're encountering is just what they used to call "chickens**t", in the service. We use four three-liter bags of replacement fluid,...

9. Excellent Resources for Cardiac Nursing

   MarkHammerschmidt replied to VickyRN's topic in Cardiac

   My wife and I run a cottage-industry website, offering free-access FAQ articles for new ICU nurses, at http://www.icufaqs.org - we've got upwards of 20 files up now, which are being serially updated...

10. "Blood Products and Transfusion" has been updated on the MICU faqs website...

    MarkHammerschmidt posted a topic in MICU, SICU

    Hi all - our article on blood transfusions, products, and the like has bee updated on the MICU faqs website, at http://www.icufaqs.org - let us know what you think? As usual, free of access, and all...

11. "Foley Catheters for Beginners" is up on the MICU faqs website...

    MarkHammerschmidt posted a topic in General Nursing

    Hi all - a new article: "Foley Catheters for Beginners", is up on the MICU faqs website at http://www.icufaqs.org - this is the second in a series for new grads coming into the unit, covering topics...

12. "Pressors and Vasoactives" has been updated at www.icufaqs.org

    MarkHammerschmidt posted a topic in MICU, SICU

    Hi all - our article on "Pressors and Vasoactives" has been substantially updated on the MICU FAQs website at http://www.icufaqs.org - let us know what you think?

13. "Sedation and Paralysis" has been updated at www.icufaqs.org ...

    MarkHammerschmidt posted a topic in MICU, SICU

    Hi all. Our file on "Sedation and Paralysis" has been updated on the MICU faqs website, at http://www.icufaqs.org - let us know what you think? As always, our materials remain free, and comments and...

14. "Sedation and Paralysis" has been updated at www.icufaqs.org ...

    MarkHammerschmidt posted a topic in CCU, Coronary, Cardiac

    Hi all. Our file on "Sedation and Paralysis" has been updated on the MICU faqs website, at http://www.icufaqs.org - let us know what you think? As always, our materials remain free, and comments and...

15. Slowly updating the MICU faqs...

    MarkHammerschmidt posted a topic in General Nursing

    Hi all. A quick note to say that we continue to (slowly!) update the articles at http://www.icufaqs.org - most recently we've started adding quiz questions at the ends of the files, in our own style,...