Whats Your Neuro/Trauma Unit Like?

[Trauma1RN]

My unit is a 20 bed Level 1 Neuro/Trauma unit. We use invasive monitoring such as swans, a-lines, bolts, caminos, continuous bladder pressures, CVP's etc. Our neuro patients seem to come in waves, summer is trauma season so we have more currently. We have our fair share of thoracic patients as well. Some of the more interesting things I have done is open bellys at the bedside, I have witnessed cardiac massage, ran two level one infusers at once(put about 30 units of blood and 30 liters of fluid), and have been in many codes. Some procedures are done at the bedside, such as trachs and pegs. However, its not always guts and glory. We have the patients that should have transfered days ago... and have people admitted that don't need the SICU, and get the medical overflow occasionally also. Our penetrating injury population is low, about 5%, because we are a suburban hospital.

Thats mine, so whats your unit like?

[nrsang97, BSN, RN]

Occasional SICU and MICU overflow of course. We also have all the EVD's unless we are full and have to overflow to SICU, we also have our fair share of camino bolts, our SICU/Trauma ICU has those as well. We have all invasive lines, occasional bladder pressures. Trach and peg done at bedside for the most part. Sometimes patients should have left the unit days before they finally did. Many trips to CT and MRI and Angio. Our SAH pt with vasospasam can be the sickest patients.

We are a 16 bed inner city level 1 trauma center in Detroit.

[Trauma1RN]

Occasional SICU and MICU overflow of course. We also have all the EVD's unless we are full and have to overflow to SICU, we also have our fair share of camino bolts, our SICU/Trauma ICU has those as well. We have all invasive lines, occasional bladder pressures. Trach and peg done at bedside for the most part. Sometimes patients should have left the unit days before they finally did. Many trips to CT and MRI and Angio. Our SAH pt with vasospasam can be the sickest patients.

We are a 16 bed inner city level 1 trauma center in Detroit.

Do you have a large population of penetrating injuries? Thats the one thing I wish I saw more of.

[nrsang97, BSN, RN]

No haven't seen any knives sticking out of anyones head. Have had the occasional GSW to the head. We have occasional assualt cases and sometimes we have no idea who they are until DPD comes and gets finger prints to identify.