From the Editor's perspective …
As nurses, we have long accepted that part of our professional role is to act as the patient advocate when making healthcare decisions. We are vital to coordinating and improving care transitions safely. Care transitions can encompass a variety of patient movements, including moving patients from units within a hospital, between healthcare practitioners, settings, and home as their care needs change. However, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) reports that care transitions are often associated with negative outcomes when not managed well. (Source: Journal of Vascular Nursing)
Source: Journal of Vascular Nursing - May 18, 2017 Category: Nursing Tags: Perspectives Source Type: research
Risk for bleeding: A nursing perspective
Nursing is a very diverse skill that not only allows us to educate our patients, but also the general public in social settings. As June is National Safety Month, this clinical column will discuss the risk for bleeding, signs and symptoms, and treatment. Uncontrolled bleeding is the number one cause of preventable death in trauma.1 Knowing what to do for the bleeding patient increases the chance of survival. This holds true for the postoperative patient in a hospital setting as does an innocent bystander in an active shooting incident. (Source: Journal of Vascular Nursing)
Source: Journal of Vascular Nursing - May 18, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Paula Cassell Tags: Clinical Column Source Type: research
How the Pump affects the Pipes: Heart Failure and Lower Extremity Peripheral Arterial Disease
The circulatory system comprises interdependent heart and blood vessels. An aging population brings increased incidence of heart failure and peripheral arterial disease. About 5.7 million adults in the United States have heart failure and about half of people who develop heart failure die within five years of diagnosis. Peripheral arterial disease affects eight to twelve million people in the United States, especially those over 50. Peripheral arterial disease and heart failure share pathophysiology, risk factors and a higher morbidity and mortality. (Source: Journal of Vascular Nursing)
Source: Journal of Vascular Nursing - May 18, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Debra Kohlman-Trigoboff Source Type: research
2016 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Management of Patients with Lower Extremity Peripheral Artery Disease: Process and Outcomes
There is little information available about the experience of nurses participating in development of interprofessional national patient care guidelines. There is often a delay in the awareness of the existence of up-to-date patient care guidelines based on the most recent evidence. The writing committee responsible for revising the ACC/AHA Guideline for the Management of Lower Extremity Peripheral Artery Disease (LEPAD) initiated its work in November of 2014. The contents of the new guideline are confidential until its expected debut in November of 2016 at the AHA Scientific Sessions. (Source: Journal of Vascular Nursing)
Source: Journal of Vascular Nursing - May 18, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Diane Treat-Jacobson, M. Eileen Walsh Source Type: research
Complete Arch TEVAR – The Last Frontier
Endovascular treatments for complex thoracic aortic pathologies have evolved significantly over the past decade. Today, TEVAR is recognized as the gold standard for managing descending thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections. However, when thoracic aneurysms and dissections involve the thoracic arch and the ascending thoracic aorta, endovascular repair has limitations and open surgical repair, or hybrid approaches that include extra-anatomical arch reconstructions are considered as primary treatment options. (Source: Journal of Vascular Nursing)
Source: Journal of Vascular Nursing - May 18, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Anita Suchdeve Source Type: research
End-Stage PAD:The Challenges and the Opportunities
The treatment of Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) is both reconstructive and palliative with the treatment goals being to salvage the limb, to improve mobility, to restore function and to relieve pain. Many surgical interventions are palliative –focusing on symptom management rather than being curative (Kettler& Maxfield, 2009). The goals of care should accept restrictions of daily life and shift focus from loss and burden to health within illness-to make the best of the situation and to develop new values (Wann-Hasson et al, 2008). (Source: Journal of Vascular Nursing)
Source: Journal of Vascular Nursing - May 18, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Bertha Hughes Source Type: research
Attack of the Plaque: Combating Carotid Stenosis
Carotid stenosis, specifically in reference to the carotid artery bifurcation and internal carotid artery, is classified by the North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial (NASCET) into three categories including mild, moderate and severe taking into consideration. Symptomatic disease and asymptomatic moderate to severe carotid disease in nature often warrants surgical intervention, typically carotid endarterectomy and carotid stenting. In any condition where there is more than one treatment option, defining optimal treatment can be complex and prove to be difficult given varying focuses, levels of expertise an...
Source: Journal of Vascular Nursing - May 18, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Dana Murray Source Type: research
Carotid Stump Embolization Syndrome
Case report with review: 62 year old male was admitted with transient weakness involving left arm and leg. Patient was found to have right frontal lobe infarcts. Patient had known prior occlusion of right internal carotid artery confirmed on diagnostic angiogram. Carotid angiogram done 4 years ago had demonstrated a patent stump of occluded internal cartoid artery with patent collateral vessels connecting external carotid artery to intracranial circulation. Patient had embolized from carotid stump via collaterals to brain causing current symptom complex. (Source: Journal of Vascular Nursing)
Source: Journal of Vascular Nursing - May 18, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Kate Dell, Shaoib Shafique Source Type: research
Compression for Primary Prevention, Treatment & Prevention of Recurrence for Patients with Chronic Venous Insufficiency using the WOCN ® Algorithm for Care across the Continuum
Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is a prevalent disease that frequently leads to development of venous leg ulcers. While a number of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines have been developed that provide guidance for clinicians when caring for patients with chronic venous insufficiency, they lack adequate detail concerning selection and application of compression for prevention and management of venous leg ulcers (VLU). Which type of compression is complex given the variety of influencing factors such as the goal of therapy (primary prevention of venous ulcers in patients with CVI, prevention of ulcer recurrence or...
Source: Journal of Vascular Nursing - May 18, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Catherine Ratliff Source Type: research
Our Journey through Vascular Disease Specific Certification
In 2013, Hackensack UMC became the first hospital in NJ, second only in the country to achieve JACHO awarded Disease Specific Certification in three areas: Carotid, AAA and lower extremity PAD. In 2015 we achieved re-certification. Our dynamic team has created a program which has reshaped our patient's hospital experience, increased patient and caregiver knowledge, created ownership of patients and caregivers in their disease and improved our outcomes. Our patients receive state of the art surgery which is followed by nursing care which captures our metrics while encompassing the whole patient. (Source: Journal of Vascular Nursing)
Source: Journal of Vascular Nursing - May 18, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Kimberly Reynolds Source Type: research
Nordic Pole Walking
Approximately 8 million Americans are diagnosed with Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD). A classic symptom of PAD, intermittent claudication, severely impacts walking ability and quality of life. Patients with PAD are advised to engage in a walking program. Supervised exercise programs have demonstrated favorable results in improving time to onset of claudication and total walking distance. Many patients with PAD have orthopedic and other medical conditions that hinder ability to walk. Nordic pole walking (NPW) has been shown to be effective in increasing maximum walking distance and claudication time in patients with PAD. ...
Source: Journal of Vascular Nursing - May 18, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: M. Eileen Walsh Source Type: research
Implementation of ABI Measurement in the Outpatient Clinic Setting in Rural Minnesota
The PAD PRAIRIE Initiative (PRAIRIE) is a three-year project aimed at partnering with rural healthcare communities to increase awareness, enhance detection, and provide therapeutic treatment options for patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD). A major component of this initiative is to educate nurses about PAD and teach them to competently perform the ABI in the primary care setting. This requires development of a rigorous ABI training protocol, providing initial ABI training, creating procedures for development and practice of skills, and developing a process for demonstration of competence before independent perfor...
Source: Journal of Vascular Nursing - May 18, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Diane Treat-Jacobson Source Type: research
Health Literacy and Self-Care Needs of Diabetics in a Free Community Health Clinic
Diabetes affects more than 350 million people worldwide. In the United States, 29.1 million people have diabetes. Uncontrolled diabetes damages blood vessels and can lead to cardiac, vascular, renal, and other compromised disease states. Individuals with diabetes need to be taught self-care activities to manage their disease and prevent complications. Diet, exercise, blood glucose testing, foot care, and smoking cessation are essential educational components. Health care information is often not provided at the appropriate level to insure comprehension. (Source: Journal of Vascular Nursing)
Source: Journal of Vascular Nursing - May 18, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: M. Eileen Walsh Source Type: research
Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) Awareness in Rural Minnesota: Results from the PAD PRAIRIE Initiative
The mission of the PAD PRAIRIE Initiative is to raise awareness, provide training and resources to diagnose and detect disease, and provide therapeutic exercise interventions for patients. Nationally, PAD is underdiagnosed and therefore undertreated in the current healthcare system. This is particularly true in rural communities where resources are often scarce. A key component to this problem is lack of public awareness. The purpose of this presentation is to present the results of the PAD Awareness Survey administered in two communities during the first year of the PAD PRAIRIE Initiative and discuss the implications for ...
Source: Journal of Vascular Nursing - May 18, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Rebecca Brown Source Type: research
V-Aware: A Patient-Centric Vascular Education and Awareness Initiative
Patients often have limited understanding of vascular risk factors, vascular health, and the various specialties that manage vascular disease. To better understand these gaps in patient awareness and education, we conducted a survey-based study among patients that have been diagnosed with vascular disease. (Source: Journal of Vascular Nursing)
Source: Journal of Vascular Nursing - May 18, 2017 Category: Nursing Authors: Deborah Hill Source Type: research
