Dr. O'Malley is a well-known nurse researcer in the area of Hemaotology, and she has assembled top experts to write about the most important hemtaologic issues in critical care. The issue has articles devoted to the following topics: Cord blood banking; Leukemia and Lymphomas; Sickle Cell; Anticoagulants; Aplastic anemia & MDS; Hereditary Hemochromatosis and Pernicious Anemia; Hemophilia; Blood book: cells, products, transfusion; Anemia; Multiple Myeloma; DIC; and The lived experience of anemia without a cause. Nurses will come away with the clinical information they need to improve patient outcomes in the critical care setting.

Hematology, An Issue of Critical Care Nursing Clinics

Gastrointestinal dysfunction or injury is common in the critical care patient either as a primary diagnosis or as secondary symptoms. Several studies confirm that up to 62% of critical care patients exhibit at least one GI symptom for at least one day. In addition, recent studies have shown that GI problems are related to negative outcomes in the critical care patient. The articles in this issue are current and relevant to critical care patients today: Autoimmune Disease of the Gut in the Critical Care Patient; Nutrition Options in CCU Patients; Mesenteric Ischemia; Management of C-Diff in Critical Care Setting; Management of Acute GI Bleed; Acute Diverticulitis Management; GI Patient Skills Training in the ICU: SOFA assessment and recognizing GI symptoms; EBP with probiotics in treatment for antibiotic associated diarrhea in the ICU; GI Problems in the ICU with Patients with HIV/AIDs; Complications of GI Motility/GI Failure in the Critically Ill Patient; Untreated Gastroesophageal Reflux Patients in the ICU; Liver Transplant; Ecoli Complications in Critical Care-Pediatrics; and GI Traumatic injuries: GI Perforation. Being knowledgeable and skillful in the recognition and care for these problems is paramount to the critical care nurse.

The Guest Editors have assembled expert authors to contribute current reviews devoted to critical care in pediatrics. The articles are devoted to Simulation and Impact on Code Sepsis; Cardiac Rapid Response Team/Modified Cardiac PEWS Development; Impact on Cardiopulmonary Arrest Events on Inpatient Cardiac Unit; Promoting Safety in Post-Tracheostomy Placement Patients in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Through Protocol; Innovation in Hospital-Acquired Pressure Ulcers Prevention in Neonatal Post-Cardiac Surgery Patients; Utilizing an Interactive Patient Care System in an Acute Care Pediatric Hospital Setting to Improve Patient Outcomes; Advances in Pediatric Pulmonary Artery Hypertension; and Creating a Safety Program in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit or Assessing Pain in the Pediatric Intensive Care Patients to name a few. Readers will come away with information that is actionable in the pediatric ICU.

Dr. Wung is addressing an important component of critical care nursing: the role of technology in patient care. She has assembled top authors to provide current clinical information in the following areas: Sensory overload and technology in critical care; Alarm fatigue; Nurse-technology Interactions; Safety steps to prevent Infusion errors; Product design and medical devices for nurses ; Technologies to assess physiologic parameters (hemodynamics/cardio output); Technologies to support hemodynamics (e.g., balloon pump. ECMO, etc); Interactive computer programs for application of critical thinking skills; Information technology Electronic health records (EHR); Real-time detection of clinical care deviations in ICU; Medication safety technology; and eICU/iCARE. Readers will come away with the updates they need to improve patient outcomes.

Dr. Stephen Krau, Consulting Editor of Critical Care Nursing Clinics, is stepping into the Guest Editor role, with colleague Dr. Maria Overstreet, to address the topic of pain management in the critically ill. The review articles in this issue will provide an up-to-date look at the current strategies to improve patient outcomes in pain management for those patients in the ICU. Top authors will be writing on the following topics: Physiology of Pain; Classifications of Pain; Current Trends in Pain Assessment; Spiritual Aspects of Pain; Pharmacologic Interventions for Pain Management; Non-Alliopathic Interventions for the Management of Pain; Pain Associated with Chest Tube Removal; Discomfort Associated with Respiratory Issues; Pain Management in Obstetrics; Technological Interventions for Acute Pain Management; Pain Management Services and Policy; and Management of Chronic Cardiac Angina. Readers will come away with the current knowledge in this important field.

Critical care units are high-risk areas which contribute to increased health care costs and increased patient morbidity and mortality. Patients in critical care units are commonly confronted with existing and the potential to develop infections. Critical care practitioners play a crucial role as initial providers to critically ill patients with infections through the delivery of timely and appropriate therapies aimed to prevent and treat patient infections. The responsibility of critical care practitioners include prudent delivery of care to treat current infections as well as ensuring the delivery of care does not increase the development of new infections. Aggressive infection control measures are needed to reduce infections in critical care settings. Dissemination of scholarly work on the topic of infection in critically ill patients can play a role in improving patient outcomes. The information provided on infections in this issue of Critical Care Nursing Clinics promotes the dissemination of current literature on a series of timely and relevant infection topics in critical care environments.

Dr. Goldsworthy has created a state-of-the-art issue that emphasizes the nurse's role in mechanical ventilation. Pertinent clinical topics include the following: basics of mechanical ventilation for nurses; current modes for mechanical ventilation; best practices for managing pain, sedation, and delirium in the mechanically ventilated patient; mobilization of and optimal oxygenation for the mechanicaly ventilated patient; managing complications; and effective weaning strategies. Authors also address mechanical ventilation in both children and neonates. The current content in this issue will leave nurses with the clinical information they need to effectively manage mechanically ventilated patients.

This issue of Critical Care Nursing Clinics, Guest Edited by Bobbi Leeper, MN, RN, CNS M-S, CCRN, at Baylor University Medical Center, provides review of Cardiac topics for the practicing nurse. Article topics include: Spectrum of Acute Coronary Syndromes; Mechanical Complications of AMI; Glucose Control in the Cardiovascular Patient; Pulmonary Hypertension; Pulmonary Problems in the Patient with Cardiovascular Disease; Stroke Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery; Surgery on Thoracic Aorta; Heart Valve Surgery; Complications of Cardiac Surgery; Electrolyte Disorders in the Cardiac Patient; and Cardiogenic Shock.

This issue of Critical Care Nursing Clinics will include articles on the following topics: Aggression and suicide risk; Bariatric patients; Alcohol abuse; Consultation for mental health and addiction issues; Delirium; Domestic violence and Hospice referral.