Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Laura Myers | Naval Medical Center Portsmouth’s (NMCP) Progressive Care Unit (PCU) recognizes...... read more read more
Naval Medical Center Portsmouth’s (NMCP) Progressive Care Unit (PCU) recognizes American Heart Month by reinforcing some of the best practices in nursing care.
“We’re making sure the staff is well educated on our patient population, and reinforcing some of the best practices in nursing care,” said Lt. Cmdr. Danilo Mendoza, a PCU clinical nurse specialist. “Every morning we hold a huddle, whether it be on the medications we’re giving to our patients, the procedures that we’re doing or even just a basic EKG (electrocardiogram) review on some of the rhythm strips.”
The PCU is a 15-bed inpatient unit that provides post-operative recovery after cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery. Those surgeries, or interventions, include placing a small sheath or small gauge wire, stents and pace makers.
“We help assist in the recovery and management of cardiac issues,” Mendoza said. “We don’t do open-heart surgery, but they are invasive procedures, just not like the heart surgery that most people think of.”
Mendoza said that American Heart Month is also about recognizing the PCU staff.
“They are more than just medical surgical nurses, they’ve got expertise with a focus in cardiac anatomy and physiology, the ability to titrate cardiac drips as well as the ability to read, assess and do interventions based off EKG telemetry,” Mendoza said. “That’s a huge requirement here for the staff, that is to be intimately familiar with telemetry to translate what’s actually physically happening with the heart mechanically into a 2D image and then translate that and interpret what those squiggly lines mean.”
The heart is a muscle and needs its exercise to stay healthy and fit.
“Lifestyle enhancements people can do include exercising 30 minutes per day three times a week, moderation in fast food products or high fat products, watching the salt content in products and eat more fruits and vegetables,” Mendoza said.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. One in four deaths are caused by heart disease.
“The American Heart Association is wanting to vocalize for everybody to make smarter choices that impact their cardiovascular health,” Mendoza said.
| Date Taken: | 02.21.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 02.21.2019 09:23 |
| Story ID: | 311397 |
| Location: | PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 87 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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