Stopcocks have a mixed reputation among medical staff who use them. On the one hand, the device simplifies infusion, blood sampling and drug administration routines and is included in many standard procedures. On the other hand, research has validated the concern of increased risk of intraluminal contamination when using stopcocks.

Majority of CLABSIs are related to the use of central venous catheters and are in fact one of the most important complication in critical care.

The burden of infection control is even greater in critically ill patients, as they are naturally weakened by their state of health.

Just the thought triggers a sense of unease for any anesthetist, CRNA and medical practitioner responsible for any aspect of drug administration in a hospital environment.

Patient safety is paramount in all aspects of medicine and medical care, but there is a particular concern for safety and injury prevention in the perioperative setting where the patient is often exposed to significant risk

The rise in obesity rates is a major concern for healthcare providers. In addition to seeing more and more patients suffer from obesity-related conditions, it is also more complex to provide healthcare to these individuals.

The process of intubation might seem like a routine task in hospitals, it’s a critical procedure that requires special care and attention.

The healthcare industry continues to evolve as we find new ways to leverage technology to provide better care for patients.

International Nurses Day is here again and we want to take the time to shed light on what makes nurses so valuable to hospitals and their communities.

As the Baby Boomer generation gets older, hospitals are seeing a big increase in elderly patients. In critical care units, such as the ICU, there has always been a higher percentage of elderly patients compared to other hospital departments, but even those numbers are increasing.

EfCNNa is an annual and major event in critical care, in which doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals discuss various topics, searching for ways to improve patient critical care.

Chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) is a serious problem affecting millions of patients each year. The latest research estimates that between 10% and 30% of surgical patients experience persistent pain one year following their surgical procedure.

Critical care is one of the most challenging and important areas of healthcare. Nurses, doctors, and researchers are constantly looking for new ways to improve patient care, worker safety, and efficiency in critical care units like the ICU.

Healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) occur in approximately 4 to 10 percent of hospitalized patients and account for more than 1,700,000 infections per year in the USA alone. In the ICU and Anesthesia, this concern is even greater considering the pressure on ICU nurses and CRNA’s as well as the critical condition of the patients.

Advancements and innovations in anesthesia have vastly improved the quality of care provided to patients, as well as the safety and performance of CRNAs and anesthetists.

Patient safety has become a major concern in the healthcare industry.To raise awareness for patient safety, the World Health Organisation celebrates Patient Safety Day on December 9th every year.

Innovations in technology have made the world more personalized. Although much of this innovation is led by marketing endeavors, personalization is a rising trend in all industries – including healthcare.

It’s almost impossible to imagine life without modern medicine and healthcare facilities. However, many of the technologies and procedures we take for granted weren’t even available 100 years ago.

Anesthesia is one of the most important discoveries in the history of medicine and has completely revolutionized the quality of healthcare that patients can receive.

Working in the healthcare profession is one of the most rewarding careers you can choose, but working in healthcare also puts your own health at risk.

Sepsis is a serious concern for hospitals, and the problem seems to be getting worse.

Nearly 40 million anesthesia procedures are conducted each year in the USA. The ability to administer anesthesia is one of the great achievements of modern medicine. However, as with any medical process, there is always potential for error.

The Marvelous™ stopcock offers nurses a truly marvelous alternative to the standard stopcock, because of its unique “self-flushing” feature.

Hospital acquired infections cause approximately 99,000 deaths in the USA per year [1]. Every year 1.7 million people in the USA acquire an infection during hospitalization.

Tubing and Luer disconnections are a major concern that often results in serious complications for the patient. However, the good news is that the majority of the critical scenarios can be easily prevented with the right protocols and equipment.

Creating universal standards for small-bore connectors that include sufficient differences between connectors for different purposes, can eliminate the risk of misconnections. Icreasing patient safety and improving the quality of medical care will be the final result

Treatment in ICU and OR frequently involves the use of lipids and other aggressive substances that carry with it health risks for patients and medical staff.

Elcam attended two conferences during May 2016; AACN and WCNA. These two conferences were a dedicated opportunity for Elcam’s teams to meet the main segment using the company products - nurses.

Pain management is one of the biggest challenges for nurses in critical care and anesthesia settings, as there are many considerations to be considered when deciding on the correct treatment.

Florence Nightingale was an English social reformer and largely considered the founder of modern nursing. At the age of 24, Nightingale said she felt "called by God to help the poor and sick" – which became her life mission.

Ironically, while caring for the health of others, healthcare staff put themselves at risk. Needle stick injuries carry the risk of infection to healthcare staff, which may even prove fatal and are sometimes hard to detect even years after they occur

Certified Nurses Day is coming up on March 19th, and it’s a great opportunity to show appreciation for all the hard work and professionalism that nurses demonstrate, with a smile on their face and a kind word, despite the challenging conditions in which they are required to work.

Certified Nurses Day is coming up on March 19th, and it’s a great opportunity to show appreciation for all the hard work and professionalism that nurses demonstrate, with a smile on their face and a kind word, despite the challenging conditions in which they are required to work.

Early Goal Directed Therapy (EGDT) was first proposed by Rivers et al in 2001, as a hemodynamic optimization protocol, proven to reduce mortality rates in cases of sepsis or septic shock.

Complications associated with intravenous fluid regulation and how an inappropriate fluid therapy protocol can easily put patients at risk of morbidity and mortality.

As is commonly known, vascular air embolism occurs when air or gas enters the vascular system, and it is a rare but potentially fatal event.

The use of stopcocks in blood transfusion and fluid management has received a lot of press in recent years

Exposure to Blood in the ICU: The Risks, and a Solution

There’s been a fair amount in the press lately about the nursing profession, ever since Miss America contestant Kelley Johnson chose to recite a monologue about her role as a caregiver for the talent portion of the event.

Why should we devote a full 30 days in September to spread the word about what sepsis is and what it does?

As a critical care nurse, you know all too well the dangers of needlestick injuries in the ICU. And while caring for patients is your number one priority, keeping yourself safe is equally important.

In our recent three-part series on Infections in the ICU, we focused on device-assisted infections.

Ask any critical care nurse and he or she will tell you about how rewarding and challenging the ICU environment can be.

While there are numerous devices used in conjunction with central venous catheters in the ICU to infuse medications and control the flow of fluids, none has held the promise, or created controversy, like the stopcock.

While there are numerous devices used in conjunction with central venous catheters in the ICU to infuse medications and control the flow of fluids, none has held the promise, or created controversy, like the stopcock.

Now in this final installment, we’d like to highlight another device-assisted infection: catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSIs).

In Part One of this series, we highlighted “Designing a Hospital to Better Fight Infection,” a Wall Street Journal article that profiled a Chicago hospital study designed to better understand the factors that influence bacterial population development in healthcare environments. The study is mapping “where hospital germs linger and what causes them to take root.”

The “scourge of hospital-acquired infections” is how a recent article in The Wall Street Journal phrased it. In this piece entitled “Designing a Hospital to Better Fight Infection,” the author profiles a research project in Chicago and the team of scientists that is mapping “where hospital germs linger and what causes them to take root.”