Cardiac Output Measurement Cardiac output—the amount of blood ejected by the heart—helps evaluate cardiac function. The most widely used method of calculating this measurement is the bolus thermodilution technique. Performed…
Cardiac Monitoring Because it allows continuous observation of the heart’s electrical activity, cardiac monitoring is used in patients with conduction disturbances or in those at risk for life-threatening arrhythmias. Like…
Carbon Monoxide Oximetry Intermittent or continuous carbon monoxide oximetry can be performed noninvasively with a lightweight, portable display unit. The unit is connected to a sensor probe that’s placed on…
Capillary Blood Gas Sampling An alternative to arterial blood gas sampling, capillary blood gas sampling is used to help monitor a patient’s respiratory status. The procedure can be performed in…
Burn Dressing Application, Biological and Synthetic Biological dressings provide a temporary protective covering for burn wounds and for clean granulation tissue. They also temporarily secure fresh skin grafts and protect…
Buccal and Sublingual Drug Administration Certain drugs are given buccally or sublingually to prevent their destruction or transformation in the stomach or small intestine. These drugs act quickly because the…
Bronchoscopy, Assisting Bronchoscopy is an invasive procedure that’s used to diagnose bronchogenic carcinoma, tuberculosis, interstitial pulmonary disease, and fungal or parasitic pulmonary infections. It can also be used to evaluate,…
Brain Tissue Oxygen Monitoring Device Insertion, Assisting Brain tissue oxygen (PbtO2) monitoring measures oxygen delivery to cerebral tissue. (See “Brain tissue oxygen monitoring and care,” page 88.) To allow for…
