ICU love

Didn't think I would like it... but I LOVED it. I love the total care of the TWO patients. The staff today that I worked with was amazing. What started off slow and low acuity turned into high maintenance and circling the drain.


So the nurse did her assessment, I did mine. I couldn't put into words the sounds I heard, I forgot them. I did mention that the rt lower lobe sounded like crackles, but sounded pretty loud. If that made since... not clear, just louder than I had expected. Now mind you I listen to kids lungs every day and they do sound loud pretty much everywhere, but with adults they sounds quiter, where I can never really hear breath sounds at the bases and for me they always sound diminished.

So anyway, I asked her what she thought, "She said the left sounded worse to her and both sides were diminished." But also said,"... that I should trust my assessment, because it is my assessment, and most times the nurse is right, even if the doctor hears something else sometimes."

So by this afternoon, guess which lung was consolidated w/ infiltrates and upon x-ray completely whited out at the base to through middle lobe? Which did not result in a great expected outcome for said patient. PaO2 50