Critical care nurses should be prepared for open abdomen

(治愈thDay)—Critical care nurses need to be prepared to manage patients with open abdomen, according to a report published in the October issue ofCritical Care Nurse.

Eleanor R. Fitzpatrick, R.N., from the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, reviews case studies illustrating the implementation of the open abdomen technique and patient management strategies.

Fitzpatrick指出,开放的腹部技术and temporary abdominal closure after damage control surgery is rapidly becoming the standard of care for managing intra-abdominal bleeding and infectious or ischemic processes incritically ill patients. The most common indication for the open abdomen is damage control surgery for abdominal trauma, but this technique is being used inpatientswith abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) due to acute pancreatitis and other disorders. Following the open abdomentechniqueand temporary abdominal closure, management priorities include hemodynamic stabilization, supporting respiratory function, preventing infection, managing pain, and monitoring for ACS.

"Determining the need for this potentially lifesaving intervention and managing the wound after the openabdomenhas been created are all within the realm of critical care nurses," Fitzpatrick writes.

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