Course Objectives

Cardiac Output and Hemodynamics

• Define the determinants of cardiac output and identify the major parameters used to assess cardiac function.
• Describe appropriate interventions for patients experiencing alterations in preload, afterload, contractility, and overall cardiac output.
• Identify key physical assessment findings that indicate altered hemodynamic status in patients.
• Explain the indications for invasive hemodynamic monitoring.
• Describe essential care considerations for patients with invasive lines in place.

Perioperative and Anesthesia Care

• Outline the necessary steps to prepare a patient for surgery.
• Discuss general principles of anesthesia relevant to critical care.
• Prioritize essential assessments for post-surgical patients.
• Identify common interventions required following surgery.
• Describe the symptoms associated with malignant hyperthermia and name the appropriate treatment.

Comprehensive Neurological Assessment

• Describe the purpose and components of a comprehensive neurological assessment for critically ill patients.
• Identify normal and abnormal findings in level of consciousness (LOC), pupillary response, motor function, and cranial nerve assessment.
• Accurately apply the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) in clinical assessment.
• Recognize abnormal motor responses and discuss their clinical significance.
• Discuss common diagnostic studies used in critical care neurology and their indications.
• Distinguish between the types of seizures and describe appropriate management strategies.
• Discuss neurologic disorders commonly encountered in critical care and their treatments.

Post-Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS)

• Describe the cognitive, psychological, and physical impairments that may persist after critical illness and ICU discharge.
• Recognize patient- and treatment-related risk factors for PICS, including prolonged mechanical ventilation, deep sedation, delirium, immobility, and sepsis.
• Apply evidence-based interventions, such as the ABCDEF bundle, to reduce the incidence and severity of PICS.

Respiratory Management and Mechanical Ventilation

• Define minute ventilation, dead space, tidal volume, and vital capacity, and understand their clinical significance.
• Identify essential aspects of artificial airways, including their indications, limitations, complications, and management strategies.
• Discuss major ventilator modalities and describe the nursing care required for ventilated patients.
• State the therapeutic effects of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP).
• Discuss three common complications of mechanical ventilation.

Acid-Base Disorders and Electrolyte Management

• Describe the changes in pH, pCO₂, and HCO₃ seen in the four major acid-base disorders.
• Distinguish whether compensation has occurred and whether the disorder is acute or chronic.
• Discuss the causes, clinical presentation, and treatment of the four major acid-base disorders.
• Describe how altered electrolytes affect a patient’s acid/base balance, respiratory, and cardiac systems.

Shock and Sepsis

• Differentiate among the etiologies and clinical presentations of the major categories of shock.
• Discuss the primary management objectives and related nursing interventions for each category of shock.
• Describe the primary assessment and management of patients with sepsis.

Palliative and End-of-Life Care

• Define palliative care and end-of-life care, and distinguish them from curative and hospice care.
• Describe assessment tools for comfort measures only and appropriate medications based on nursing assessment.
• Explain the role of the nurse as an advocate for quality palliative care and the transition to end-of-life or hospice care in critical care settings.

Gastrointestinal and Renal Complications

• Describe the characteristics and interventions for common gastrointestinal complications in critically ill patients.
• Explain the pathophysiology of abdominal compartment syndrome and interventions to measure intra-abdominal pressure.
• Differentiate between the three types of acute kidney injury.
• State interventions for the management of acute kidney injury.
• Identify common electrolyte imbalances, their complications, and treatments.

Medication Safety and Pharmacology

• Identify safety precautions in place to ensure safe medication administration.
• Describe the pharmacology of common vasoactive agents, analgesic medications, and neuromuscular blocking agents.