Procedures
Urinary and nasogastric tubes, wound care, ostomies, oxygen, airway suctioning and specimen collection, step by step.
21 pages
Procedure
- Airway clearance: incentive spirometry, deep breathing, coughing and oscillating devicesSlow deep breaths, effective coughing and simple devices open the small airways and move mucus…
- Airway suctioning: oral, nasal and artificial airwaysSuction only when needed: pre-oxygenate, go in without suction, suction on the way out, and keep…
- Blood cultures: technique that avoids contaminationTake them before antibiotics, at least two sets from separate venipunctures, on disinfected, dry…
- Chest tube: assisting insertion, the drainage system and careA tube drains air, blood or fluid from the pleural space into a closed system that must stay…
- Compression and elastic bandagingBandages and stockings squeeze the limb to push blood back up the veins and reduce swelling…
- Eye and ear irrigationA gentle stream of liquid flushes chemicals or particles from the eye, or wax from the ear…
- Indwelling catheter care and removalThe catheter stays a closed system with urine flowing downhill, and it comes out as soon as it…
- Nasogastric tube: insertion and checking its positionThe tube goes through the nose into the stomach; its position is confirmed before use, because a…
- Negative-pressure wound therapyA sealed foam dressing connected to a vacuum pump removes fluid and draws the wound edges…
- Ostomy care: changing the pouch and assessing the stomaMeasure the stoma, cut the barrier just larger, and check that the stoma stays pink, moist and…
- Oxygen therapy: devices, flows and safetyOxygen is a medicine: give it with the ordered device and flow, toward a target saturation, and…
- Recording a 12-lead ECGTen electrodes on the limbs and chest record the heart's electrical activity; exact positions…
- Removing sutures and staplesWith an order and a well-closed wound, sutures or staples are removed alternately and the line…
- Specimen collection: urine, stool, sputum and swabsA poorly taken specimen gives a false result: collect it at the right time, uncontaminated…
- Suprapubic catheters, external catheters and catheter irrigationOther ways to drain urine: a sheath over the penis, a catheter through the lower abdomen, and…
- Surgical wound drains: emptying, measuring and careA drain removes blood and fluid that build up after surgery; the nurse empties it, keeps the…
- Tracheostomy careClean the stoma and inner cannula, change the dressing and the ties with two people, and always…
- Urinary catheterizationA sterile catheter is passed through the urethra into the bladder to drain urine, only for a…
- Venipuncture: drawing blood samplesIdentify the patient properly, choose a suitable vein, disinfect and let it dry, and fill the…
- Wound care and dressings: cleaning and choosing a dressingThe wound is cleaned from cleanest to dirtiest and dressed with something that keeps it moist…
Assessment
A to Z
← Nursing: fundamentals and procedures
Educational content for students; it does not replace your institution's protocols, supervised clinical training or a prescriber's order. Dose-calculation examples use made-up numbers: they are educational, not a clinical order.
Representative model, for educational purposes only.