Self-care Demands of Patients with Implantable Left Ventricular Assist Devices.

nfs — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:56:59 +0000

Published Date:

Thu, 2009-01-01 (All day)

Heart failure (HF) is a growing public health problem affecting approximately 23 million people worldwide. Treatment options for advanced HF patients have moved beyond pharmacologic therapy to include left-ventricular assist devices (LVADs). Patients with an LVAD must manage a complex regimen of care. This article proposes the use of self-care deficit nursing theory (SCDNT) as a framework to identify and organize the care needs of patients with an LVAD from a nursing perspective. Within SCDNT, self-care refers to actions designed to meet self-care requisites to achieve regulatory goals. When formalized, self-care requisites have two components: the general action to be taken and a "factor" to be controlled. The reformulation of health-deviation self-care requisites common to LVAD patients are presented and may serve as an exemplar for other technology-assisted living situations. The strengths and limitations of using the SCDNT for patients with such complex needs, as well as implications for clinical practice, research, and advancement of nursing science, are examined.

An Evidence-Based Review on Guided Imagery Utilization in Adult Cardiac Surgery

nfs — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 20:56:28 +0000

Published Date:

Fri, 2010-01-01 (All day)

This article illustrates a comprehensive review, synthesis, and critical appraisal of the research evidence surrounding guided imagery utilization in cardiac surgery. By adding guided imagery in the "usual care" of adult cardiac surgery patients, pre- and postoperative anxiety and pain, as well as hospital length of stay may be reduced. However, in spite of fairly strong "level" of evidence, the limited number of studies and low research quality deter the full acceptance of guided imagery as a standard therapeutic modality in this population. Acute and critical care nurses can offer guided imagery to their patients based on the documented safety of its use and clinically significant findings that it may have a direct impact on patients' recovery outcomes. Higher quality, methodologically rigorous, and larger-scale studies are warranted to establish the efficacy and standard utilization of guided imagery during perioperative and rehabilitative periods. Future studies should also address long-term outcomes, specifically on physical and psychological health, well-being, and overall quality of life after cardiac surgery.

Nurse Faculty Scholars - Cardiology

Self-care Demands of Patients with Implantable Left Ventricular Assist Devices.

An Evidence-Based Review on Guided Imagery Utilization in Adult Cardiac Surgery