Safely Ambulating Patients with a Pulmonary Artery Catheter: Changing Practice and Improving Care

ConclusionsBy utilizing and inclusion/exclusion criteria, setting limits on the frequency a patient is allowed to ambulate and creating a protocol to ensure a controlled setting, patients with PACs can safely ambulate without monitoring the PA waveforms. The use of a standard dressing and immobilization technique prevents catheter dislodgement during ambulation. By increasing physical activity, patients will gain strength to help prevent deconditioning during prolonged hospitalizations
Source: Heart and Lung: The Journal of Acute and Critical Care - Category: Respiratory Medicine Source Type: research