Clinical Update for Stroke Step-down Care Unit and Mechanically Ventilated Patients
Since the advancement in technology, there has been a significant improvement in modes of detecting and monitoring stroke and neurological problems. Such timely diagnosis and treatment of these health problems have helped to reduce the complications that arise when patients suffer from stroke and neurological disorders. However, stroke and neurological disorders are still among the leading causes of death and disability in the United States (Nurse.com, 2008).
Mechanical ventilation
The stroke step-down care unit is basically tasked with using advanced technology to monitor the progress of patients who have suffered a stroke and neurological disorders. This is done by using invasive endovascular and cerebral aneurysm procedures. However, such stroke step-down units are not effective outside the intensive care units (ICU). As such, the patients in the ICU receive maximum observation and monitoring especially when it comes to the stroke step-down procedures (Nurse.com, 2008). As a result, the propensity of recovering patients affected by stroke is high.
Mechanical ventilation provides assisted breathing to patients. However, complications do arise. Such complications may be due to the use of the mechanical ventilation itself, prolonged immobility and inability to eat normally. Although hospitals have consistent regulations implemented to reduce such complications such as reduced use of mechanical ventilation, there are patients who constantly require the use of these services. In this regard, the complications tend to be escalated to critical levels.
In a bid to ensure that both the stroke step-down unit and mechanical ventilation are effective at all times and provide fewer complications, it is best to research on better ways to help stroke patients and those who need to use mechanical ventilation (Jesse & McShane, 2013). It is also best to keep nurses and care workers updated with the changing technology needed to improve the stroke step-down units and alternative ways of helping patients breathe other than recommending the use of mechanical ventilation.
Mechanically Ventilated Patients Monitoring
Such recommendations require extensive financial resources to cater for the research. This would also mean having to employ more research personnel and being able to pay their salaries will also strain the financial capabilities of any institution. In this bid, the support of the government and other health institutions is required for this to be a success.
The legal implications of such research is also a key factor. Since the most effective ways to be found there has to be experimentation and the use of humans as specimens will always give human rights overseers a reason to be against such research. Therefore the need to address the legal procedures of the research is critical to ensuring that the human rights of the patient are observed and at the same time their life is protected as human life cannot be replaced.
Despite political goodwill, the involvement of politics in such research is minimal. The politicians can only champion for the research and the need to offer financial support for it. Further involvement of politics in such would be detrimental to the objectives of the research as politicians might tend to use this as a reason to gain support in order to be popular or gain favor among the electorate.
References
Nurse.com (February 2008); New Step Down Unit for Stroke Patients at Houston VA. Retrieved from: https://www.nurse.com/blog/2008/02/11/new-stepdown-unit-for-stroke-patients-at-houston-va/
Jesse H. B. & McShane P. J. (November 2013); Overview of Mechanical Ventilation. Merk Manual Professional View. Retrieved from: https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/critical-care-medicine/respiratory-failure-and-mechanical-ventilation/overview-of-mechanical-ventilation
