Summer is peak time for some of the best things in life-vacations, outdoor adventures, barbeques, and holiday gatherings, to name just a few. It is also a good opportunity to dive into areas of clinical practice you normally do not have time to learn about. It is just somehow easier to tackle complex, abstract, or thorny topics when the sun is working overtime to boost our mood and energy levels. What better way to take advantage of the extra daylight than to explore?
In this issue, we are drilling down into some very specialized, and in some cases difficult, topics. Our cover feature on lifesaving ECMO therapy (p. 16) is something you may have heard of, but not know much about. Although the general anesthesia feature (p. 36) may seem simple, it represents a great opportunity to refresh or establish your knowledge of this important aspect of care for surgical patients, carefully guiding the reader through each phase and the relevant nursing considerations. And take a deep dive into neuro with our fascinating pneumocephalus feature-I for one learned all sorts of new terms, from the inverted soda bottle effect to the Mount Fuji sign.
With this issue, we are also introducing a new department called Name that strip. In each installment, you will be presented with a new cardiac rhythm strip to puzzle through, along with fill-in spaces for your interpretation. Answers can be found on the back of the page. Turn to page 13 to see if you can interpret the very first one. Consider it our version of a mystery beach read!
From ever-present legal concerns (p. 30) to an inspiring new end-of-life ritual (p. 8), and bolstering nurse health through technology (p. 5), this issue is really a wide-ranging reminder of how much the world of critical and acute care encompasses. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed putting it together!
Chloe Falivene, MA