Nurse Key

Moderate Sedation Moderate sedation, also called conscious sedation, is a drug-induced depression of consciousness that’s used for painful diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and those for which the patient must remain…

Mixed Venous Oxygen Saturation Monitoring This procedure uses a fiber-optic thermodilution pulmonary artery (PA) catheter to continuously monitor oxygen delivery to tissues and oxygen consumption by tissues. Monitoring of mixed…

Metered-Dose Inhaler Use A metered-dose inhaler delivers topical medications to the respiratory tract, producing local and systemic effects. The mucosal lining of the respiratory tract absorbs the inhalant almost immediately….

Mechanical Ventilation, Positive Pressure A mechanical ventilator moves air in and out of a patient’s lungs. Although the equipment serves to ventilate a patient, it doesn’t ensure adequate gas exchange….

Mechanical Traction Management Mechanical traction exerts a pulling force on a part of the body— usually the spine, pelvis, or long bones of the arms and legs. It can be…

Manual Ventilation A handheld resuscitation bag is an inflatable device that can be attached to a face mask or directly to an endotracheal (ET) or tracheostomy tube, allowing manual delivery…

Lumbar Puncture, Assisting Lumbar puncture involves the insertion of a sterile needle into the subarachnoid space of the spinal canal, usually between the third and fourth lumbar vertebrae. This procedure…

Low-Air-Loss Therapy Bed Use Low-air-loss therapy beds, composed of segmented cushions that provide surface area for pressure relief, help prevent and treat skin breakdown as well as minimize pain. These…