Every nurse knows the havoc chemotherapy wreaks on the body, but most nurses aren’t as knowledgeable on how to treat chemo reactions as, say, chemo or oncology nurses. Even host Sarah Lorenzini is slightly intimidated by unpredictable reactions from chemotherapy! That’s why this episode is centered around those super scary chemotherapy reactions and how to treat them.

To help us dive further into this topic, Sarah is speaking with another rapid response nurse, Montana RN. He has a dramatic patient story to share about rigors, a chemotherapy reaction that occurs as the body is trying to mount a febrile response to the medication. Not only was his patient visibly struggling, but he was hypoxic and there was no doctor available to prescribe medication to treat the reaction.

As Montana and Sarah study this patient’s case, you’ll find out what type of reaction the patient was having and walk away with the knowledge of how to treat chemotherapy reactions and their symptoms, the use of desensitization procedures for reactions to chemo agents, and why it’s important to know your hospital’s chemo reaction protocol.

There’s so much to learn about chemotherapy reactions and the nurse’s role in caring for this patient population during a really scary experience.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• What led Montana to become a rapid response nurse
• How the patient presented and his initial assessment
• What rigors looks like and the pathophysiology behind this scary looking symptom
• Treatment options for rigors
• Why Montana had to bring the patient to the ER
• How to treat a reaction and its symptoms
• The patient’s treatment and outcome
• Montana’s takeaways from this experience

Mentioned in this episode:

CONNECT

Coming Soon! Rapid Response Academy: The Heart and Science of Caring for the Sick

Click here to learn more about the community that Sarah is building:

In this episode of Rapid Response RN, host Sarah Lorenzini is joined by Casey BSN, RN, CCRN-CMC, CFRN, CTRN, CEN, TCRN, CPEN, CNRN, NRP. And yes, you read her title right — Casey has a whopping eight certifications and is one of the few nurses with ALL five BCEN certifications. And she’s using her knowledge and skills to advocate for her patients and teach others.

Today, Casey tells the story of a patient who came into the ER after a fall and was later diagnosed with a basilar skull fracture. Complicating the case even more is that the patient was a child under the age of 2, so it was more difficult to assess the signs of his injury. Casey’s hospital provider dismissed the fall as normal childhood injury, but she did what any good nurse would do and followed her hunch that something more was going on.

Casey shares how the patient presented, how they arrived at the diagnosis and treated him. You’ll also learn the telltale signs and symptoms of basilar skull fracture, and how to check for signs of abuse if you see a pediatric head injury.

Tune in for a lesson in pediatric basilar skull fractures, and advocating for your intuition as a new nurse!

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Casey’s nursing journey to earn so many certifications
• Why Casey’s patient came into the ER and how he presented
• What made her think something more was going on
• Results of the patient’s CT and their diagnosis
• Classic signs and symptoms of basilar skull fractures
• How to assess mental status in children
• Determining if injury is a sign of child abuse
• How they treated the patient for a basilar skull fracture
• What nurses need to prioritize when treating a basilar skull fracture

Connect with Casey:

https://www.instagram.com/criticalcarecasey/

Mentioned in this episode:

Coming Soon! Rapid Response Academy: The Heart and Science of Caring for the Sick

Click here to learn more about the community that Sarah is building:

Rapid Response and Rescue Intro Course

CONNECT

In this episode of Rapid Response RN, host Sarah Lorenzini is joined by Casey BSN, RN, CCRN-CMC, CFRN, CTRN, CEN, TCRN, CPEN, CNRN, NRP. And yes, you read her title right — Casey has a whopping eight certifications and is one of the few nurses with ALL five BCEN certifications. And she’s using her knowledge and skills to advocate for her patients and teach others.

Today, Casey tells the story of a patient who came into the ER after a fall and was later diagnosed with a basilar skull fracture. Complicating the case even more is that the patient was a child under the age of 2, so it was more difficult to assess the signs of his injury. Casey’s hospital provider dismissed the fall as normal childhood injury, but she did what any good nurse would do and followed her hunch that something more was going on.

Casey shares how the patient presented, how they arrived at the diagnosis and treated him. You’ll also learn the telltale signs and symptoms of basilar skull fracture, and how to check for signs of abuse if you see a pediatric head injury.

Tune in for a lesson in pediatric basilar skull fractures, and advocating for your intuition as a new nurse!

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Casey’s nursing journey to earn so many certifications
• Why Casey’s patient came into the ER and how he presented
• What made her think something more was going on
• Results of the patient’s CT and their diagnosis
• Classic signs and symptoms of basilar skull fractures
• How to assess mental status in children
• Determining if injury is a sign of child abuse
• How they treated the patient for a basilar skull fracture
• What nurses need to prioritize when treating a basilar skull fracture

Connect with Casey:

https://www.instagram.com/criticalcarecasey/

Mentioned in this episode:

CONNECT

Coming Soon! Rapid Response Academy: The Heart and Science of Caring for the Sick

Click here to learn more about the community that Sarah is building:

Intubation is a life-saving intervention, but it can also kill your patient! That’s why this follow-up episode to last week’s patient story is covering the process of intubation, what can go wrong and how nurses can mitigate risk factors to avoid bad outcomes like cardiac arrest.

In part two of this intubation series, host Sarah Lorenzini details proper intubation preparation and the role of nurses during intubation. She walks through the entire process from assembling a team to what supplies and medications you need, and how to use them so that you reduce harm to the patient. You’ll hear about key factors to consider when giving patients sedative or paralytic agents, as well as how to prepare for a blood pressure drop after intubation.

This episode is full of useful information that will help you during your next intubation, such as pre-oxygenation strategies, RSI (rapid sequence intubation) vs when to opt for DSI (delayed sequence intubation), and how to mitigate some of the negative side effects that go along with these drugs.

Plus, find out how Sarah’s patient story from last week’s episode ends. Tune in for all this and more!

Topics discussed in this episode:

• The dangers of intubation, such as peri-intubation cardiac arrest
• What it means to intubate and how to prepare for intubation
• Why and how to preoxygenate your patient
• Supplies and equipment needed for intubation
• The medications we use for intubation and what to expect once you push them
• The pathophysiology of why BP drops after intubation
• How to prepare for a drop in blood pressure post-intubation
• When to opt for delayed sequence intubation
• The intubation story of last week’s patient

Mentioned in this episode:

Rapid Response and Rescue Intro Course

CONNECT

Coming Soon! Rapid Response Academy: The Heart and Science of Caring for the Sick

Click here to learn more about the community that Sarah is building:

Intubation is a life-saving intervention, but it can also kill your patient! That’s why this follow-up episode to last week’s patient story is covering the process of intubation, what can go wrong and how nurses can mitigate risk factors to avoid bad outcomes like cardiac arrest.

In part two of this intubation series, host Sarah Lorenzini details proper intubation preparation and the role of nurses during intubation. She walks through the entire process from assembling a team to what supplies and medications you need, and how to use them so that you reduce harm to the patient. You’ll hear about key factors to consider when giving patients sedative or paralytic agents, as well as how to prepare for a blood pressure drop after intubation.

This episode is full of useful information that will help you during your next intubation, such as pre-oxygenation strategies, RSI (rapid sequence intubation) vs when to opt for DSI (delayed sequence intubation), and how to mitigate some of the negative side effects that go along with these drugs.

Plus, find out how Sarah’s patient story from last week’s episode ends. Tune in for all this and more!

Topics discussed in this episode:

• The dangers of intubation, such as peri-intubation cardiac arrest
• What it means to intubate and how to prepare for intubation
• Why and how to preoxygenate your patient
• Supplies and equipment needed for intubation
• The medications we use for intubation and what to expect once you push them
• The pathophysiology of why BP drops after intubation
• How to prepare for a drop in blood pressure post-intubation
• When to opt for delayed sequence intubation
• The intubation story of last week’s patient

Mentioned in this episode:

CONNECT

Coming Soon! Rapid Response Academy: The Heart and Science of Caring for the Sick

Click here to learn more about the community that Sarah is building:

Patients get intubated in every department of the hospital… not just the ICU.  So it’s important that every nurse know the signs and symptoms of when it’s time to intubate.

Our host Sarah Lorenzini, has been asked the same type of questions about intubation multiple times this week, so we felt it was necessary to address them. Sarah’s extensive knowledge and experience in critical care and rapid response situations has prepared her to be able to provide expertise and insights on this topic, which she wants to share with all of you today!

In this episode, Sarah addresses some common questions related to intubation: how to know when it's time to intubate a patient and what it means when a patient is not protecting their airway.

She shares a story from her own experience to illustrate the importance of recognizing the signs that indicate the need for intubation and walks through some of the obvious, and not so obvious signs that it’s time to intubate.

This episode is packed with experiential knowledge that you don’t want to miss. So tune in for this and more!

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Signs to look for to determine when to intubate
• How to recognize when a patient is not protecting their airway
• What to do when patients are working too hard or not hard enough to improve their oxygen saturation
• Recognizing patients who cannot oxygenate or ventilate on their own
• Looking beyond the vital signs and focusing on the clinical presentation to determine if a definitive airway is needed

This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Rapid Response and Rescue Intro Course

CONNECT

Coming Soon! Rapid Response Academy: The Heart and Science of Caring for the Sick

Click here to learn more about the community that Sarah is building:

Patients get intubated in every department of the hospital… not just the ICU.  So it’s important that every nurse know the signs and symptoms of when it’s time to intubate.

Our host Sarah Lorenzini, has been asked the same type of questions about intubation multiple times this week, so we felt it was necessary to address them. Sarah’s extensive knowledge and experience in critical care and rapid response situations has prepared her to be able to provide expertise and insights on this topic, which she wants to share with all of you today!

In this episode, Sarah addresses some common questions related to intubation: how to know when it's time to intubate a patient and what it means when a patient is not protecting their airway.

She shares a story from her own experience to illustrate the importance of recognizing the signs that indicate the need for intubation and walks through some of the obvious, and not so obvious signs that it’s time to intubate.

This episode is packed with experiential knowledge that you don’t want to miss. So tune in for this and more!

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Signs to look for to determine when to intubate
• How to recognize when a patient is not protecting their airway
• What to do when patients are working too hard or not hard enough to improve their oxygen saturation
• Recognizing patients who cannot oxygenate or ventilate on their own
• Looking beyond the vital signs and focusing on the clinical presentation to determine if a definitive airway is needed

This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com

Mentioned in this episode:

CONNECT

Coming Soon! Rapid Response Academy: The Heart and Science of Caring for the Sick

Click here to learn more about the community that Sarah is building:

September is Sepsis Awareness Month, so host Sarah Lorenzini is throwing it back to one of the earliest Rapid Response RN podcast episodes with guest Yesha APRN. This episode tells the story of a patient with sepsis, and it’s one of Sarah’s favorite episodes because it exemplifies all of the classic signs and symptoms of sepsis as well as the important role the nurse plays in caring for septic patients.

Last week, you learned about fluid resuscitation and the potential harm of fluid overload in the treatment of sepsis. In this episode, you’ll hear how Sarah and Yesha’s patient responded to fluid boluses and what made them advocate for a different treatment approach.

Sarah then goes deeper into the pathophysiology of sepsis, indicators of sepsis using SIRS criteria and the qSOFA score, and more indicators any nurse can test without a tool. You’ll also find out how to treat a patient with sepsis, which diagnostics to run, and what you can do to promote a return to homeostasis in your patient.

Tune in to learn the signs and symptoms of sepsis and septic shock, and how to facilitate early detection. Plus, hear Yesha’s takeaways from this patient story that will benefit all nurses in their treatment of sepsis!

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Yesha’s nursing journey and updates on her career
• How Yesha’s patient presented and his response to fluid administration
• What made her decide to call a rapid response nurse, Sarah
• Sarah’s assessment of the patient and how they treated him
• The pathophysiology of sepsis
• SIRS criteria and qSOFA score for prediction of sepsis
• What happens in the “septic inflammatory cascade of awfulness”
• How to detect sepsis early
• Treatment and management of a sepsis patient

Read the article, “Fluid selection & pH-guided fluid resuscitation” by Dr. Josh Farkas, here:

https://emcrit.org/ibcc/fluid/

Mentioned in this episode:

Rapid Response and Rescue Intro Course

CONNECT

Coming Soon! Rapid Response Academy: The Heart and Science of Caring for the Sick

Click here to learn more about the community that Sarah is building:

September is Sepsis Awareness Month, so host Sarah Lorenzini is throwing it back to one of the earliest Rapid Response RN podcast episodes with guest Yesha APRN. This episode tells the story of a patient with sepsis, and it’s one of Sarah’s favorite episodes because it exemplifies all of the classic signs and symptoms of sepsis as well as the important role the nurse plays in caring for septic patients.

Last week, you learned about fluid resuscitation and the potential harm of fluid overload in the treatment of sepsis. In this episode, you’ll hear how Sarah and Yesha’s patient responded to fluid boluses and what made them advocate for a different treatment approach.

Sarah then goes deeper into the pathophysiology of sepsis, indicators of sepsis using SIRS criteria and the qSOFA score, and more indicators any nurse can test without a tool. You’ll also find out how to treat a patient with sepsis, which diagnostics to run, and what you can do to promote a return to homeostasis in your patient.

Tune in to learn the signs and symptoms of sepsis and septic shock, and how to facilitate early detection. Plus, hear Yesha’s takeaways from this patient story that will benefit all nurses in their treatment of sepsis!

Topics discussed in this episode:

• Yesha’s nursing journey and updates on her career
• How Yesha’s patient presented and his response to fluid administration
• What made her decide to call a rapid response nurse, Sarah
• Sarah’s assessment of the patient and how they treated him
• The pathophysiology of sepsis
• SIRS criteria and qSOFA score for prediction of sepsis
• What happens in the “septic inflammatory cascade of awfulness”
• How to detect sepsis early
• Treatment and management of a sepsis patient

Read the article, “Fluid selection & pH-guided fluid resuscitation” by Dr. Josh Farkas, here:

https://emcrit.org/ibcc/fluid/

Mentioned in this episode:

CONNECT

Coming Soon! Rapid Response Academy: The Heart and Science of Caring for the Sick

Click here to learn more about the community that Sarah is building: