45 Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy
Skill 45 Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy Negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is the application of a vacuum (negative pressure) to a wound through suction to draw edges of a wound together while…
84 Wound Drainage Devices
Skill 84 Wound Drainage Devices Jackson-Pratt, Hemovac If drainage accumulates in the wound bed, wound healing is delayed. Drainage is removed by using either a closed or an open drain…
81 Urinary Diversion
Skill 81 Urinary Diversion Pouching an Incontinent Urinary Diversion Because urine flows continuously from an incontinent urinary diversion, placement of the pouch is more challenging than with the fecal diversion….
74 Suprapubic Catheter Care
Skill 74 Suprapubic Catheter Care A suprapubic catheter is a urinary drainage tube inserted surgically into the bladder through the abdominal wall above the symphysis pubis. The catheter may be…
10 Blood Pressure by Auscultation
Skill 10 Blood Pressure by Auscultation Upper Extremities, Lower Extremities, Palpation The most common technique of measuring blood pressure is auscultation with a sphygmomanometer and stethoscope. As the sphygmomanometer cuff…
53 Peripheral Intravenous Care
Skill 53 Peripheral Intravenous Care Dressing Care, Discontinuation Short peripheral intravenous (IV) catheters require strict adherence to infection-prevention measures to avoid complications associated with these devices. Securely apply catheter dressings…
66 Seizure Precautions
Skill 66 Seizure Precautions The two basic types of seizures are partial (simple and complex) and generalized. In a simple seizure a patient does not lose consciousness. In a partial…
62 Rectal Suppository Insertion
Skill 62 Rectal Suppository Insertion Rectal medications exert either local effects on gastrointestinal (GI) mucosa (e.g., promoting defecation) or systemic effects (e.g., relieving nausea or providing analgesia). The rectal route…
56 Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter Care
Skill 56 Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter Care The need for safe and convenient intravenous (IV) therapy has led to the development of vascular access devices (VADs) designed for long-term access…
85 Wound Irrigation
Skill 85 Wound Irrigation Wound irrigation cleanses and irrigates surgical or chronic wounds such as pressure ulcers (Table 85-1). Introduce the cleansing solution directly into the wound with a syringe,…
