Enlisting Parents to Decrease Hospital-Acquired Central Line-Associated Infections in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

Hospital-acquired central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) are the leading cause of infections in the pediatric intensive care unit. Bacteria responsible for CLABSIs are spread by health care workers, parents, and families and mitigated by scrupulous attention to hand hygiene and safety prevention strategies. Maintenance bundles are grouped elements, such as hand hygiene, standardized dressing and tubing changes, and aseptic technique for entering a central line, effective in preventing CLABSIs.

Job Satisfaction and Retention of an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Fellowship Program.

The purpose of this study was to determine how an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) fellowship program affects job satisfaction and retention after the first year of practice. The Misener Nurse Practitioner Job Satisfaction Scale was administered to nine novice APRNs at a large Midwestern children's hospital after program completion. Job satisfaction scores and retention rates were measured.

A Comparison of Dressing Techniques for Presurgical Closure of Myelomeningocele in the Neonate.

Background: Myelomeningoceles are routinely closed surgically within 24 to 48 hours after birth; the defect and exposed placode must be protected from further damage from excoriation and contamination until surgery.

Purpose: Two methods to keep the defect moist and clean are used at our large Midwestern children's hospital: the occlusive and the drip. There was no agreement between the neonatal and neurosurgical teams as to which technique was superior, hence the need for a formal evaluation.

Acute Flaccid Myelitis.

Acute flaccid myelitis is a poliolike illness affecting mainly children, which seems to occur every 2 years in the late summer and early fall. The 2018 outbreak was alarming to parents and healthcare providers because the etiology is still under investigation and long-term outcomes are unclear. Becoming familiar with what is known about the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of acute flaccid myelitis enables neuroscience nurses to disseminate accurate information and recognize and report suspicious symptoms.

Improving health care transition and longitudinal care for adolescents and young adults with hydrocephalus: report from the Hydrocephalus Association Transition Summit.

The health care needs of children with hydrocephalus continue beyond childhood and adolescence; however, pediatric hospitals and pediatric neurosurgeons are often unable to provide them care after they become adults. Each year in the US, an estimated 5000-6000 adolescents and young adults (collectively, youth) with hydrocephalus must move to the adult health care system, a process known as health care transition (HCT), for which many are not prepared. Many discover that they cannot find neurosurgeons to care for them.

Reflections on 50 Years of Pediatric Neuroscience Nursing.

Throughout the past 50 years, the role of the neuroscience nurse has become more specialized as we continue to keep pace with new innovations and improvement in care for our patients. This is evident when reviewing the hundreds of articles that have been published in the Journal of Neuroscience Nursing over the last half-century. These authors have had a tremendous influence over neuroscience nursing through dissemination of their expert knowledge.

The Rare Association of Spina Bifida and Extrarenal Wilms Tumor: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Background: The diagnosis of nephroblastoma outside of the kidneys, in the absence of a renal primary tumor, is known as extrarenal Wilms tumor (ERWT). ERWT is an uncommon entity that typically involves the embryonic path of the developing kidneys and gonads. The occurrence of ERWT in a dysraphic spine is uncommon, with no reported cases of preoperative diagnosis, with all cases diagnosed at pathology.

Maximizing Opportunities in Your Career: Lessons From a Magnet® Nurse of the Year.

This month's Magnet® Perspectives column is authored by one of the winners of the 2015 Magnet Nurse of the Year award. Cathy Cartwright, a pediatric clinical nurse specialist in neurosurgery, reflects on lessons learned during her nursing career by taking advantage of opportunities and persevering to maximize her impact on patient care.

Lumbar puncture opening pressure is not a reliable measure of intracranial pressure in children.

There is very little data correlating lumbar puncture pressures to formal intracranial pressure monitoring despite the widespread use of both procedures. The hypothesis was that lumbar puncture is a single-point measurement and hence it may not be a reliable evaluation of intracranial pressure. The study was therefore carried out to compare lumbar puncture opening pressures with the Camino bolt intracranial pressure monitor in children.

"Mock herniations" to assess nurses' response times and accuracy in setting up ventriculostomies in the pediatric intensive care unit.

When an emergent ventriculostomy is required for relief of increased intracranial pressure, it is critical that participating physicians and nurses work as an efficient team for optimal outcomes. From our experience, problems in ventriculostomy insertion have occurred because of delays in obtaining correct supplies and lack of skill in assembling the drainage system. The goals of this study were to (a) decrease the response time and (b) increase competency for successful insertion and setup of a ventriculostomy by using a "mock herniation" scenario.

The role of the advanced practice nurse in neuroscience nursing: results of the 2006 AANN membership survey.

The need for a scope of practice for advanced practice neuroscience nurses was identified by the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses (AANN) in 2006. A task force consisting of advanced practice nurses (nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists) was commissioned by AANN and charged with the development of the document. Current information regarding the practices of advanced practice neuroscience nurses was needed as the task force began to develop this document.

Endoscopy-assisted wide-vertex craniectomy, barrel stave osteotomies, and postoperative helmet molding therapy in the management of sagittal suture craniosynostosis.

Object: Endoscopic techniques were introduced 7 years ago for the surgical management of patients with sagittal synostosis. In this study of 139 patients with sagittal synostosis, the authors assessed the efficacy, safety, complications, and outcomes after performing endoscopy-assisted wide-vertex craniectomies with bitemporal and biparietal barrel stave osteotomies.

Methods: The sample population consisted of a total of 99 boys and 40 girls who ranged in age from 0.

Endoscopic strip craniectomy: a minimally invasive treatment for early correction of craniosynostosis.

Traditionally, surgical correction of craniosynostosis involves calvarial remodeling, large blood losses necessitating transfusions, hospital stays of several days, and less-than-satisfactory results. In this study, outcomes from a minimally invasive technique called endoscopic strip craniectomy, along with a postoperative molding helmet, to correct craniosynostosis in young infants were evaluated. The endoscopic strip craniectomy was performed on 185 patients with clinical signs of craniosynostosis, with the following distribution: 107 sagittal, 42 coronal, 37 metopic, and 7 lambdoid, for a total of 198 sutures.

Assessing asymmetrical infant head shapes.

The number of infants with cranial asymmetry has increased since the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that infants sleep on their backs or sides. Here, learn to distinguish positional molding (positional plagiocephaly) from premature closure of cranial sutures (craniosynostosis). A clinical examination and x-rays aid diagnosis, allowing initiation of interventions that prevent permanent skull deformities.

Early management of craniosynostosis using endoscopic-assisted strip craniectomies and cranial orthotic molding therapy.

Objective: To assess the safety, efficacy, and results of the early treatment of infants with craniosynostosis using minimally invasive endoscopic strip craniectomies and postoperative helmet molding therapy.

Methods: A total of 100 patients with documented diagnosis of craniosynostosis were prospectively studied and treated with endoscopic strip craniectomies. A total of 106 stenosed sutures were operated on with the following distribution: 61 sagittal, 23 coronal, 18 metopic, and 4 lambdoid sutures.