Frequently, the distal tip of intravascular catheters are used to diagnose central line–associated blood stream infection. Where is the colonization heaviest on these catheters? Koh and colleagues studied 289 patients with arterial, central venous catheters, or peripherally inserted central lines (PICCs) in place for 9 days or longer. They cultured segments of these devices and found the following:
—Maureen Seckel,rn,apn,msn,aprn-bc,ccrn,ccns
See Article, pp 162–171
How do you feel when a patient’s family is writing everything down in a tablet? Nervous? The study by Jones and colleagues puts a new twist on the issue—collaborate with writing the diary. They found decreased posttraumatic stress disorder in participating families at 3 months. In Scandinavia and the United Kingdom providing diaries for intensive care unit (ICU) patients is common practice. This study offers a new opportunity for beside nurses to help...