title: Neuromonitoring indications and utility in the intensive care unit.
abstract: Information on the use of neuromonitoring in intensive care units is scattered but significant. Nurses who do not care for neurologically impaired patients on a daily basis may not have a strong understanding of the utility of various neuromonitoring techniques, why they are used, or how they are interpreted. Two main types of neuromonitoring that are frequently seen but poorly understood are reviewed here: transcranial Doppler sonography and electrophysiology. Information on these 2 techniques tends to be either superficial with limited applicability to the critical care setting or very technical. This review provides information about neuromonitoring to help guide critical care nurses providing care to neurologically impaired patients.
authors.affiliation: Catherine Harris is an assistant professor at Jefferson School of Nursing and an acute care nurse practitioner in the neurocritical care unit at Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. catherine.harris@jefferson.edu.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Harris
mesh_terms: D003422:Critical Care; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D059906:Neuroimaging / Q000451:nursing; D009468:Neuromuscular Diseases / Q000451:nursing*; D064926:Neurophysiological Monitoring / Q000451:nursing*; D024802:Nurse's Role; D017585:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial / Q000451:nursing; D000078329:Workforce