Clinical Pearls

What effects do nursing interventions have on intracranial pressure?

Managing intracranial pressure (ICP) is a vital aspect of care for patients at risk for secondary brain injury. Interventions provided by nurses may adversely effect ICP. In a multi-center study, Olson and colleagues observed nurse-patient dyads to determine the effects that a variety of nursing interventions had on ICP and found the following:

—Karen A. McQuillan,rn,ms,cns-bc,ccrn,cnrn

See Article, pp 431–438

Alcohol withdrawal is a challenging patient care situation. Fullwood and colleagues examined 2 strategies for patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who were at high risk for alcohol withdrawal based on the patients’ history and the CAGE assessment. This study’s findings were as follows:

Providing the ethanol drink of choice to the patient may lead to a decrease in the amount of lorazepam...