Bridging the Gap Between Clinical Practice and the AACN Practice Alert on Pulmonary Artery/Central Venous Pressure Monitoring in Adults

Abstract

Measuring and documenting accurate data from pulmonary artery and central venous pressure catheters is an important responsibility of critical care nurses. The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Practice Alert titled Pulmonary Artery/Central Venous Pressure Monitoring in Adults provides evidence-based standards against which nurses can compare their practice related to obtaining valid hemodynamic data. Identifying and acting on improvement opportunities is also a nursing responsibility and helps to ensure that patients with pulmonary artery or central venous pressure catheters receive high-quality care. This article reviews various strategies to compare nursing practice to the Pulmonary Artery/Central Venous Pressure Monitoring in Adults Practice Alert and to close identified gaps in clinical practice.

Evaluating the Impact of a Teaching Program on Nurses' Performance during CVP Measurement in Intensive Care Units: A Quasi-Experimental Study

“…CVP measurement is a nursing responsibility; therefore, the critical care nurse needs to be technically and clinically competent in the CVP measurement (Endla, Kabdal et al 2017, Hill andSmith 2021) Before the CVP measurement, the nurse should assess and observe for signs and symptoms indicating the need for CVP measurement, including low or labile blood pressure, widely diverse intake and output, and fluid administration at a rapid rate. In addition, she should identify the client who is potentially at risk for fluid imbalance and assess the signs and symptoms of fluid volume excess or deficit, requiring CVP measurement to correlate the patient's clinical picture with the CVP value (Magder 2007, Von Rueden 2020 Moreover, critical care nurses should assess all factors that could affect the CVP reading, including the patient's diagnosis, hydration status, administered medications, and obesity. In addition, the nurse should prepare herself and wash her hands before measuring the CVP.…”