ICU Lingo

I had a really busy day in clinical today. My nurse and I only had 2 patients, but we were busy going back and forth between them all day long!

When I thought back on all the things I did or saw today, I realized just how many abbreviations nurses use on a daily basis. And since learning about the ICU this semester, I've realized that ICU nurses use even more abbreviations than the average nurse!

Just to give you an idea of the crazy confusion that can ensue if you don't know your abbrevs, here's a list of things I did/saw today. See if you can figure out what they mean!

-IV monitoring and meds
-G tube meds
-NG tube reinsertion
-Chest tube removal
-ABG draws
-PT and INR draws
-A-line draws
-A-line removal
-Pacer wire isolation
-Rapid response
-Accu-chek
-Hemodynamic monitoring
-AVR patient
-New pulse ox
-VFib
-CT scan
-Vent monitors on SIMV with FiO2, PS, and PEEP

Does that mean anything to you? I'm proud to say that I understand all of it! But there's plenty more abbreviations out there that I don't know yet...