Risk factors for colonization by carbapenemase-producing enterobacteria at admission to a Surgical ICU: A retrospective study.

INTRODUCTION: In 2011, a hospital-wide outbreak of OXA-48 producing Klebsiella pneumoniae occurred in our hospital, an epidemiological setting of high ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae rates. This study identifies risk factors for colonization with carbapenemase-producing enterobacteria (CPE) at Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) admission. METHODS: A 2-year retrospective study was performed in all patients admitted to the SICU that following routine had a rectal swab collected upon admission. RESULTS: Of 254 patients admitted, 41 (16.1%) harbored CPE (five showing two carbapenemase-producing isolates). Most frequent carbapenemase-producing isolates and carbapenemases were K. pneumoniae (39/46, 84.8%) and OXA-48 (31/46; 76.1%), respectively. Carriers significantly had higher rates of chronic renal disease, previous digestive/biliary endoscopy, hospitalization, ICU/SICU admission, intraabdominal surgery, and antibiotic intake, as well as higher median values of clinical scores (SOFA, SAPS II and APACHE II). In the multivariate analysis (R2=0.309, p<0.001), CPE carriage was associated with prior administration of 3rd-4th generation cephalosporins (OR=27.96, 95%CI=6.88, 113.58, p<0.001), ß-lactam/ß-lactamase inhibitor (OR=11.71, 95%CI=4.51, 30.43, p<0.001), abdominal surgery (OR=6.33, 95%CI=2.12, 18.89, p=0.001), and prior digestive/biliary endoscopy (OR=3.88, 95%CI=1.56, 9.67, p=0.004). CONCLUSIONS: A strong association between production of ESBLs and carriage of CPE (mainly OXA-48 producing K. pneumoniae) was found. According to the model, the co-selection of ß-lactamases by previous exposure to broad-spectrum cephalosporins and ß-lactam/ß-lactamase inhibitors (with lower relative risk), abdominal surgery and prior digestive/biliary endoscopy were factors associated with CPE carriage.

Intensity of interprofessional collaboration among intensive care nurses at a tertiary hospital. / Intensidad de colaboración interprofesional entre enfermeras de cuidados intensivos de un hospital de tercer nivel.

OBJECTIVES: To measure the intensity of interprofessional collaboration (IPC) in nurses of an intensive care unit (ICU) at a tertiary hospital, to check differences between the dimensions of the Intensity of Interprofessional Collaboration Questionnaire, and to identify the influence of personal variables. METHOD: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with 63 intensive care nurses selected by simple random sampling. Explanatory variables: age, sex, years of experience in nursing, years of experience in critical care, workday type and work shift type; variable of outcome: IPC. The IPC was measured by: Intensity of Interprofessional Collaboration Questionnaire. Descriptive and bivariate statistical analysis (IPC and its dimensions with explanatory variables). RESULTS: 73.8% were women, with a mean age of 46.54 (±6.076) years. The average years experience in nursing and critical care was 23.03 (±6.24) and 14.25 (±8.532), respectively. 77% had a full time and 95.1% had a rotating shift. 62.3% obtained average IPC values. Statistically significant differences were found (P<.05) between IPC (overall score) and overall assessment with years of experience in critical care. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows average levels of IPC; the nurses with less experience in critical care obtained higher IPC and overall assessment scores.

Communication skills in ICU and adult hospitalisation unit nursing staff. / Habilidades de comunicación en enfermeras de UCI y de hospitalización de adultos.

OBJECTIVES: In this study researchers are trying to analyse the personality factors related to social skills in nurses who work in: Intensive Care Units, ICU, and Hospitalisation units. Both groups are from the Madrid Health Service (SERMAS). METHOD: The present investigation has been developed as a descriptive transversal study, where personality factors in ICU nurses (n=29) and those from Hospitalisation units (n=40) were compared. The 16PF-5 questionnaire was employed to measure the personality factors associated with communication skills. RESULTS: The comparison of the personality factors associated to social skills, communication, in both groups, show us that nurses from ICU obtain in social receptivity: 5,6 (A+), 5,2 (C-), 6,2 (O+), 5,1 (H-), 5,3 (Q1-), and emotional control: 6,1 (B+), 5,9 (N+). Meanwhile the data doesn't adjust to the expected to emotional and social expressiveness, emotional receptivity and social control, there are not evidence. CONCLUSIONS: The personality factors associated to communication skills in ICU nurses are below those of hospitalisation unit nurses. The present results suggest the necessity to develop training actions, focusing on nurses from intensive care units to improve their communication social skills.

A case report: Nursing interventions on a patient with anaphylactic shock in ICU. / A propósito de un caso: intervenciones enfermeras a una paciente con shock anafiláctico en la UCI.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The care plan of a 42-year-old woman with anaphylactic shock, secondary to ingestion of amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, with upper airway involvement due to laryngeal angioedema, is presented. Previously she had had two episodes of angioedema of unknown origin. The incidence of this phenomenon is between 3.2 and 10 cases/100,000 people/year. CLINICAL OBSERVATION: An evaluation was made and three altered necessities stood out: breathing and circulation (she needed mechanical ventilation and noradrenalin perfusion), elimination (she required furosemide to keep an acceptable diuresis time), and hygiene and skin protection (she presented generalised hyperaemia, lip, lingual and oropharyngeal oedema). The hospital's Clinical Research Ethics Committee requested the patient's informed consent to access her clinical history. INTERVENTIONS: According to the altered necessities, seven diagnoses were prioritised according to NANDA taxonomy: risk of allergic response, risk of infection, risk of ineffective renal perfusion, decreased cardiac output, impaired spontaneous ventilation, risk of unstable blood glucose level, and risk of dysfunctional gastrointestinal motility. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Scores of outcome criteria showed a favourable evolution after 24hours. The development of a standardised NANDA-NOC-NIC language in the clinical case presented allowed us to organise the nursing work, facilitating recording and normalising clinical practice. As a limitation of this case, we didn't have serial plasma levels of histamine and tryptase to assess the evolution of anaphylactic symptoms. Highlight the importance of health education in a patient with a history of angioedema.

The opinion of health professionals regarding the presence of relatives during cardiopulmonary resucitation. / La opinión de los profesionales sanitarios sobre la presencia de familiares durante las maniobras de resucitación cardiopulmonar.

BACKGROUND: The latest recommendations from the American Heart Association and the European Resuscitation Council invite allowance for the presence of relatives (PR) during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) as an extra measure of family care. OBJECTIVE: To discover the opinion of health professionals on the PR during CPR. METHOD: Cross-sectional observational study through an online survey in Spain, based on a non-probability sample (n=315). RESULTS: 45% consider that the PR during CPR is not demanded by users. 64% value the implementation of this practice in a negative or a very negative way. 45% believe that the practice would avoid the feeling of abandonment that is instilled in the relatives, this being the most widely perceived potential benefit. 30% do not believe that it can help reduce the anxiety of relatives. The majority remarked that PR would cause situations of violence, psychological harm in witnesses, and more mistakes during care. 48% feel prepared to perform the role of companion. CONCLUSIONS: Most professionals perceive more risks than benefits, and are not in favour of allowing PR due to a paternalistic attitude, and fear of the reactions that could be presented to the team. Extra-hospital emergency personnel seems to be the group most open to allowing this practice. Most professionals do not feel fully prepared to perform the role of companion.

Plasmapheresis and other extracorporeal filtration techniques in critical patients.

Plasmapheresis is an extracorporeal technique that eliminates macromolecules involved in pathological processes from plasma. A review is made of the technical aspects, main indications in critical care and potential complications of plasmapheresis, as well as of other extracorporeal filtration techniques such as endotoxin-removal columns and other devices designed to eliminate cytokines or modulate the inflammatory immune response in critical patients.

High-flow nasal cannula therapy versus non-invasive ventilation in children with severe acute asthma exacerbation: An observational cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: The present study describes our experience with the high-flow humidified nasal cannula (HFNC) versus non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in children with severe acute asthma exacerbation (SA). METHODS: An observational study of a retrospective cohort of 42 children with SA admitted to a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) for non-invasive respiratory support was made. The primary outcome measure was failure of initial respiratory support (need to escalate from HFNC to NIV or from NIV to invasive ventilation). Secondary outcome measures were the duration of respiratory support and PICU length of stay (LOS). RESULTS: Forty-two children met the inclusion criteria. Twenty (47.6%) received HFNC and 22 (52.3%) NIV as initial respiratory support. There were no treatment failures in the NIV group. However, 8 children (40%) in the HFNC group required escalation to NIV. The PICU LOS was similar in both the NIV and HFNC groups. However, on considering the HFNC failure subgroup, the median length of respiratory support was 3-fold longer (63h) and the PICU LOS was also longer compared with the rest of subjects exhibiting treatment success. CONCLUSIONS: Despite its obvious limitations, this observational study could suggest that HFNC in some subjects with SA may delay NIV support and potentially cause longer respiratory support, and longer PICU LOS.

[Analysis of an incident notification system and register in a critical care unit]. / Análisis del registro de un sistema de notificación de incidentes en una unidad de cuidados críticos.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the incident communicated through a notification system and register in a critical care unit. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted by performing an analysis of the records of incidents communicated anonymously and voluntarily from January 2007 to December 2013 in a critical care unit of adult patients with severe trauma. STUDY VARIABLES: incident type and class, professional reports, and suggestions for improvement measures. A descriptive analysis was performed on the variables. RESULTS: Out of a total of 275 incidents reported, 58.5% of them were adverse events. Incident distributed by classes: medication, 33.7%; vascular access-drainage-catheter-sensor, 19.6%; devices-equipment, 13.3%, procedures, 11.5%; airway tract and mechanical ventilation, 10%; nursing care, 4.1%; inter-professional communication, 3%; diagnostic test, 3%; patient identification, 1.1%, and transfusion 0.7%. In the medication group, administrative errors accounted for a total of 62%; in vascular access-drainage-catheter-sensor group, central venous lines, a total of 27%; in devices and equipment group, respirators, a total of 46.9%; in airway self-extubations, a total of 32.1%. As regards to medication errors, 62% were incidents without damage. Incident notification by profession: doctors, 43%, residents, 5.6%, nurses, 51%, and technical assistants, 0.4%. CONCLUSIONS: Adverse events are the most communicated incidents. The events related to medication administration are the most frequent, although most of them were without damage. Nurses and doctors communicate the incidents with the same frequency. In order to highlight the low incident notification despite it being an anonymous and volunteer system, therefore, it is suggested to study measurements to increase the level of communication.

[Individualised care plan during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. A clinical case]. / Plan de cuidados individualizado durante oxigenación con membrana extracorpórea. Caso clínico.

An individualised care plan is described for a woman diagnosed with pneumonia, intubated, and on invasive mechanical ventilation, who was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). A nursing care plan was designed based on Marjory Gordon functional patterns. The most important nursing diagnoses were prioritised, using a model of clinical reasoning model (Analysis of the current status) and NANDA taxonomy. A description is presented on, death anxiety, impaired gas exchange, decreased cardiac output, dysfunctional gastrointestinal motility, risk for disuse syndrome, infection risk, and bleeding risk. The principal objectives were: to reduce the fear of the family, achieve optimal respiratory and cardiovascular status, to maintain gastrointestinal function, to avoid immobility complications, and to reduce the risk of infection and bleeding. As regards activities performed: we gave family support; correct management of the mechanical ventilation airway, cardio-respiratory monitoring, skin and nutritional status; control of possible infections and bleeding (management of therapies, care of catheters…). A Likert's scale was used to evaluate the results, accomplishing all key performance indicators which were propose at the beginning. Individualised care plans with NNN taxonomy using the veno-venous ECMO have not been described. Other ECMO care plans have not used the same analysis model. This case can help nurses to take care of patients subjected to veno-venous ECMO treatment, although more cases are needed to standardise nursing care using NANDA taxonomy.

[Barriers and motivations of nurses for conducting research in Intensive Care Units and Emergency Medical Service]. / Barreras y motivaciones de los profesionales de enfermería para la utilización de la investigación en Unidades de Cuidados Intensivos y en el Servicio de Emergencias Médicas.

BACKGROUND: The implementation of evidence based practice is essential in clinical practice. However, it is still a challenge in critical care patients. AIM: To identify the barriers for conducting research that nursing professionals perceive in intensive care and medical emergency departments, as well as to investigate the areas of interest and motivations to carry out research projects. METHOD: Cross-sectional and multicentre study carried out in 4 intensive care units and in one Medical Emergency Department emergency pre-hospital carein Catalonia on 2014. The instrument used was The Barriers to Research Utilization Scale which had been previously validated into Spanish. A descriptive and bivariate analysis was performed. A statistical significance of P<.05 was assumed. RESULTS: One hundred seventy-two questionnaires were obtained (69.9% response). Of the total, 135 were from critical care, 27 to pre-hospital care, and 10 from both. Just over half (57.3%) had research experience, although 44.4% had related training. The questionnaire dimension considered most relevant was organisational characteristics. The most important barriers were: there is not enough time at work [3.11 (SD 1.21)], physicians do not collaborate in its implementation [2.99 (SD 1.22)], and nurses are isolated with respect to other professionals [2.86 (SD 1.32)]. Significant differences were observed in the barriers according to research experience and work place. The main motivation was to be updated in critical patient care. CONCLUSIONS: The main barriers perceived are related to the organisation. There are differences in the barriers according to research experience and work place.

[Stress level assessment of the nursing staff in the Intensive Care Unit of a university hospital]. / Nivel de estrés del personal de enfermería de la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos de un hospital clínico universitario.

The objective was to determine the work stress level among nursing staff in the Intensive Care Unit of a university hospital and to analyse its relationship with the various sociodemographic and working variables of the studied sample. A study was designed using a quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional approach. The target population of the study was the nursing staff selected by non-random sampling. The instrument used was the Job Content Questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 20. The mean, ranges and standard deviation for each of the variables were calculated. A bivariate analysis was also performed on the social and occupational variables of the sample. The participation rate was 80.90% (N=89). The mean of the Social support dimension was 3.13±0.397, for the Psychological demands at work dimension it was 3.10±0.384, with a mean of 2.96±0.436 being obtained for the Control over the work dimension. In the analysis of sociodemographic and work variables of the sample, only the professional category was significant, with nurses recording higher values in perception of job demands and control over their work compared to nursing assistants. In conclusion, there is a moderate perception of work stress in the analysed group of professionals. Among the sources of stress in the workplace was the low control in decision-making by practitioners, as well as the need to continually learn new things. On the other hand, the support received from colleagues is valued positively by the sample.

[Perspective of intensive care nursing staff on the limitation of life support treatment]. / Perspectiva de los profesionales de enfermería de unidades de cuidados intensivos sobre la limitación del tratamiento de soporte vital.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the perspective of intensive care nursing staff on the limitation of life support treatment (LLST) in the Intensive Care Units. METHOD: An exploratory qualitative study was carried out by applying the theory of Strauss and Corbin as the analysis tool. Constructivist paradigm. POPULATION: Nursing staff from three Intensive Care Units of Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge. Convenience sampling to reach theoretical saturation of data. Data collection through semi-structured interview recorded prior to informed consent. Rigor and quality criteria (reliability, credibility, transferability), and authenticity criteria: reflexivity. Demographic data was analysed using Excel. RESULTS: A total of 28 interviews were conducted. The mean age of the nurses was 35.6 years, with a mean seniority of 11.46 years of working in ICU. A minority of nurses (21.46%) had received basic training in bioethics. The large majority (85.7%) believe that LLST is not a common practice due to therapeutic cruelty and poor management with it. There is a correlation with the technical concepts; but among the main ethical problems is the decision to apply LLST. Nurses recognise that the decision on applying LLST depends on medical consensus with relatives, and they believe that their opinion is not considered. Their objective is trying to avoid suffering, and assist in providing a dignified death and support to relatives. CONCLUSIONS: There is still a paternalistic pattern between the doctor and patient relationship, where the doctor makes the decision and then agrees with the relatives to apply LLST. Organ failure and poor prognosis are the most important criteria for applying LLST. It is necessary to develop a guide for applying LLST, emphasising the involvement of nurses, patients, and their relatives.

[Therapeutic restraint management in Intensive Care Units: Phenomenological approach to nursing reality]. / Manejo de la inmovilización terapéutica en Unidades de Cuidados Críticos: aproximación fenomenológica a la realidad enfermera.

AIMS: To identify nursing experience on physical restraint management in Critical Care Units. To analyse similarities and differences in nursing experience on physical restraint management according to the clinical context that they are involved in. METHOD: A multicentre phenomenological study was carried out including 14 Critical Care Units in Madrid, classified according to physical restraint use: Common/systematic use, lacking/personalised use, and mixed use. Five focus groups (23 participants were selected following purposeful sampling) were convened, concluding in data saturation. Data analysis was focused on thematic content analysis following Colaizzi's method. FINDINGS: Six main themes: Physical restraint meaning in Critical Care Units, safety (self-retreat vital devices), contribution factors, feelings, alternatives, and pending issues. Although some themes are common to the 3 Critical Care Unit types, discourse differences are found as regards to indication, feelings, systematic use of pain and sedation measurement tools. CONCLUSIONS: In order to achieve real physical restraint reduction in Critical Care Units, it is necessary to have a deep understanding of restraints use in the specific clinical context. As self-retreat vital devices emerge as central concept, some interventions proposed in other settings could not be effective, requiring alternatives for critical care patients. Discourse variations laid out in the different Critical Care Unit types could highlight key items that determine the use and different attitudes towards physical restraint.

Ultrasound-guided vascular cannulation in critical care patients: A practical review.

Vascular cannulation is common practice in critical care, and is traditionally performed using the landmark technique - though failures and complications are not uncommon. In this regard, ultrasound guided vascular cannulation (USGVC) has been shown to improve the procedure success rate and reduce its associated complications. This review addresses the fundamental aspects of USGVC and discusses some training issues related to this technique which is currently regarded as essential for intensivists.

Analysis of needs of the critically ill relatives and critical care professional's opinion. / Análisis de las necesidades de la familia del paciente crítico y la opinión de los profesionales de la unidad de cuidados intensivos.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the needs of the families of patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the opinion of ICU professionals on aspects related to the presence of patient relatives in the unit. DESIGN: A prospective descriptive study was carried out between March and June 2015. SETTING: Polyvalent ICU of León University Healthcare Complex (Spain). PARTICIPANTS: Two samples of volunteers were studied: one comprising the relatives emotionally closest to the primarily non-surgical patients admitted to the Unit for over 48hours, and the other composed of ICU professionals with over three months of experience in the ICU. INTERVENTION: One self-administered questionnaire was delivered to each relative and another to each professional. MAIN VARIABLES OF INTEREST: Sociodemographic data were collected. The variables in the questionnaire for relatives comprised the information received, closeness to the patient, safety of care, the support received, and comfort. In turn, the questionnaire for professionals addressed empathy and professional relationship with the family, visiting policy, and the effect of the family upon the patient. RESULTS: A total of 59% of the relatives (35/61) answered the questionnaire. Of these subjects, 91.4% understood the information received, though 49.6% received no information on nursing care. A total of 82.9% agreed with the visiting policy applied (95.2% were patient offspring; P<.05). Participation on the part of the professionals in turn reached 76.3% (61/80). A total of 59.3% would flexibilize the visiting policy, and 78.3% considered that the family afforded emotional support for the patient, with no destabilizing effect. On the other hand, 62.3% routinely informed the family, and 88% considered training in communication skills to be needed. CONCLUSIONS: Information was adequate, though insufficient in relation to nursing care. The professionals pointed to the need for training in communication skills.

Effect upon mortality of the extension to holidays and weekends of the "ICU without walls" project. A before-after study. / Efecto sobre la mortalidad de la ampliación a los festivos y fines de semana del proyecto «UCI sin paredes¼. Estudio before-after.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether extension to holidays and weekends of the protocol for the early proactive detection of severity in hospital ("ICU without walls" project) results in decreased mortality among patients admitted to the ICU during those days. DESIGN: A quasi-experimental before-after study was carried out. SETTING: A level 2 hospital with 210 beds and a polyvalent ICU with 8 beds. PATIENTS OR PARTICIPANTS: The control group involved no "ICU without walls" activity on holidays or weekends and included those patients admitted to the ICU on those days between 1 January 2010 and 30 April 2013. The intervention group in turn extended the "ICU without walls" activity to holidays and weekends, and included those patients admitted on those days between 1 May 2013 and 31 October 2014. Patients arriving from the operating room after scheduled surgery were excluded. VARIABLES OF INTEREST: An analysis was made of the demographic variables (age, gender), origin (emergency room, hospital ward, operating room), type of patient (medical, surgical), reason for admission, comorbidities and SAPS 3 score as a measure of severity upon admission, stay in the ICU and in hospital, and mortality in the ICU and in hospital. RESULTS: A total of 389 and 161 patients were included in the control group and intervention group, respectively. There were no differences between the 2 groups except as regards cardiovascular comorbidity (49% in the control group versus 33% in the intervention group; P<.001), severity upon admission (median SAPS 3 score 52 [percentiles 25-75: 42-63) in the control group versus 48 [percentiles 25-75: 40-56] in the intervention group; P=.008) and mortality in the ICU (11% in the control group [95% CI 8-14] versus 3% [95% CI 1-7] in the intervention group; P=.003). In the multivariate analysis, the only 2 factors associated to mortality in the ICU were the SAPS 3 score (OR 1.08; 95% CI 1.06-1.11) and inclusion in the intervention group (OR 0.33; 95% CI 0.12-0.89). CONCLUSIONS: Extension of the "ICU without walls" activity to holidays and weekends results in a decrease in mortality in the ICU.

Effect of the timing of admission upon patient prognosis in the Intensive Care Unit: On-hours versus off-hours.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the repercussion of the timing of admission to the ICU upon patient prognosis. DESIGN: A prospective, observational, non-interventional cohort study was carried out. SCOPE: A second level hospital with 210 operational beds and a general ICU with 8 operational beds. PATIENTS OR PARTICIPANTS: The study comprised all patients admitted to the ICU during 3 years (January 2010 to December 2012), excluding those subjects admitted from the operating room after scheduled surgery. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the timing of admission (on-hours or off-hours). INTERVENTIONS: Non-interventional study. VARIABLES OF INTEREST: An analysis was made of demographic variables (age, sex), origin (emergency room, hospital ward, operating room), comorbidities and SAPS 3 as severity score upon admission, length of stay in the ICU and hospital ward, and ICU and hospital mortality. RESULTS: A total of 504 patients were included in the on-hours group, versus 602 in the off-hours group. Multivariate analysis showed the factors independently associated to hospital mortality to be SAPS 3 (OR 1.10; 95% CI 1.08-1.12), and off-hours admission (OR 2.00; 95% CI 1.20-3.33). In a subgroup analysis of the off-hours group, the admission of patients on weekends or non-working days compared to daily night shifts was found to be independently associated to hospital mortality (OR 2.30; 95% CI 1.23-4.30). CONCLUSIONS: Admission to the ICU in off-hours is independently associated to patient mortality, which is also higher in patients admitted on weekends and non-working days compared to the daily night shifts.

[Intensive care unit profesionals's knowledge about non invasive ventilation comparative analysis]. / Análisis comparativo de los conocimientos en ventilación mecánica no invasiva de profesionales de cuidados intensivos.

AIMS: The literature highlights the lack of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) protocols and the variability of the knowledge of NIV between intensive care units (ICU) and hospitals, so we want to compare NIV nurses's Knowledge from 4 multipurpose ICU and one surgical ICU. METHODS: Multicenter, crosscutting, descriptive study in three university hospitals. The survey instrument was validated in a pilot test, and the calculated Kappa index was 0.9. Returning a completed survey is an indication of informed consent. Analysis by Chi square test. RESULTS: 117 responded (65%) nurses, 11±9.7 years of experience in ICU and 9.2±7.2 in use of NIV. One of the multipurpose ICU, was initiated NIV an average of 6 years later than the others (95% CI [3.3 to 8.6], P<.001). Only 23.1% of nurses would place a non-vented mask (with no exhalation port) by conventional ventilator, the rest any kind of face mask. 12.7% believed that the mask must be adjusted to the "2-finger" fit while 29% would seal the mask to the patient's face and cover the mask opening where air escapes to facilitate patient/ventilator synchronization. In the surgical ICU agitation identifies mostly as a complication of NIV compared with multipurpose UCIs (31.6% vs 1.8%, P<.001). 56.4% of nurses do not consider respiratory physiotherapy as nursing care, with no difference between units. CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge about types of interface is very dependent on the material of the unit. More training for complications of NIV as agitation and handling secretions it is necessary.

[Perception of UCI nurses in relation with satisfactory care: convergences and divergences with the perception of critical patients]. / Percepción de las enfermeras de UCI en relación al cuidado satisfactorio: convergencias y divergencias con la percepción del paciente crítico.

OBJECTIVE: Explore convergences and divergences between perception of nurses and of critically ill patients, in relation to the satisfactory care given and received. METHODS: It is part of a larger qualitative study, according to the Grounded Theory. Carried out in 3 intensive care units with 34 boxes. Sampling theoretical profiles with n=19 patients and n=7 nurses after data saturation. Recruitment of patients included in the profiles of elderly and long-stay got stretched over some time due to the low incidence of cases. Data collection consisted of: in-depth interview to critically ill patients, group discussion of expert nurses in the critical care patient and field diary. Analysis themed on Grounded Theory according Strauss and Corbin: open coding, axial and selective. Analysis followed criteria of Guba and Lincoln rigor, Calderón quality and Gastaldo and McKeever ethical reflexivity. There was a favorable report from the ethical committee of the Hospital and informed consent of the participants. RESULTS: Four matching categories were found: professional skills, human, technical and continued care. Combination of these elements creates feelings of security, calmness and feeling like a person, allowing the patient a close and trusting relationship with the nurse who takes individualized care. Not divergent categories were found. CONCLUSIONS: Perceptions of nurses in relation to care match perceptions of critically ill patients in both the definition and dimensions upon satisfactory care.

[Non-pharmacological steps for the treatment of acute confusional syndrome in the intensive care unit]. / Medidas no farmacológicas para el tratamiento del síndrome confusional agudo en la unidad de cuidados intensivos.

UNLABELLED: The incidence of delirium in intensive care units is high and it has been under-diagnosed and under-treated. OBJECTIVE: To describe the experiences of ICU nurses in the identification and application of non-pharmacological treatments. METHOD: A qualitative phenomenological research study was performed, based on focus groups. INCLUSION CRITERIA: ICU nurses with one year of more of experience were included. Sample Purpose and snowball technique. DATA COLLECTION: Data from the focus groups were transcribed for analysis and a thematic analysis of the texts was performed. RESULTS: Four themes were identified: a) the physical and social structure of the ICU b) family involvement, c) need for training of health professionals, and d) encouraging the sleep-wake cycle. CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary to control the ICU environment to make it more friendly, to change the routine work to promote relaxation, implement training activities and to make visiting hours flexible.