Case studies: what a difference a nurse makes

The case studies represent three different types of critical care nursing challenges. The objective of each case study is to identify a key nursing problem and focus on nursing research or nursing behavior that made or could have made the greatest difference to the patient outcome. The first case is of a man with Buerger's disease who had unmet needs regarding pain control. The second patient had an out-of-hospital ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm and survived a rough, 7-week hospitalization. Major complications included coagulopathy and rhabdomyolysis. Critical care nursing expertise in early assessment and intervention was integral to survival for this patient. The third case is of an elderly woman with an extensive medical history who experienced repeated prosthetic aortic graft infections, skin breakdown, and poor wound healing. The highlighted research is on low air loss beds. The critical care nurse made a significant difference in increasing each of these patient's chances for a successful hospital outcome.