Falling Through the Crack (in the Bedrails)

A 65-year-old woman with cirrhosis presented to the hospital with septic shock and respiratory failure. Hospital staff members placed her on a mechanical ventilator, admitted her to the intensive care unit, and inserted a nasogastric tube to administer medications. The patient was disoriented, so the medical team administered a sedative and placed restraints on her wrists to prevent her from pulling out lines or tubes. She had ascites, so the medical team decided to perform paracentesis to rule out infection.
Source: AORN Journal - Category: Nursing Tags: Column Source Type: research