[Individualised care plan during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. A clinical case]

An individualised care plan is described for a woman diagnosed with pneumonia, intubated, and on invasive mechanical ventilation, who was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). A nursing care plan was designed based on Marjory Gordon functional patterns. The most important nursing diagnoses were prioritised, using a model of clinical reasoning model (Analysis of the current status) and NANDA taxonomy. A description is presented on, death anxiety, impaired gas exchange, decreased cardiac output, dysfunctional gastrointestinal motility, risk for disuse syndrome, infection risk, and bleeding risk. The principal objectives were: to reduce the fear of the family, achieve optimal respiratory and cardiovascular status, to maintain gastrointestinal function, to avoid immobility complications, and to reduce the risk of infection and bleeding. As regards activities performed: we gave family support; correct management of the mechanical ventilation airway, cardio-respiratory monitoring, skin and nutritional status; control of possible infections and bleeding (management of therapies, care of catheters…). A Likert's scale was used to evaluate the results, accomplishing all key performance indicators which were propose at the beginning. Individualised care plans with NNN taxonomy using the veno-venous ECMO have not been described. Other ECMO care plans have not used the same analysis model. This case can help nurses to take care of patients subjected to veno-venous ECMO treatment, although more cases are needed to standardise nursing care using NANDA taxonomy.