This presentation discusses the care of urgent or emergent gastrointestinal (GI) patients. The speaker describes how to avoid these patient situations if possible, signs and symptoms of emergencies, and treatment, with an emphasis on the GI nurse and associate role. GI bleeds including ulcers, arterio-venous malformations (AVMs), varices, Dieulafoy's Lesion, and diverticular bleed. Patient populations requiring caution will also be highlighted including those with sedation, foreign body obstruction, perforation, septic cholangitis, oversedation, anaphylaxis, and methemoglobinemia. Finally, the first few minutes of a Code Blue will be discussed including the 13 leading causes of cardiac arrest, the four most frequently seen in the GI lab, and their treatments.

Section Description

We are pleased to present the abstracts from sgna's 36th annual course, SGNA: your gateway to opportunity. The diversity of these topics certainly reflects the richness and breadth of our specialty. in keeping with the tradition of the annual course, we hope the following abstracts will encourage discussions for improving nursing practice and patient care outcomes.