What about the physical layout of the unit and that patient room? How do you think that the physical layout facilitates, or hinders, the CRRT practice?
Interviewee: In general, the CRRT circuits are short, but that is for good reason, and it keeps them from getting sicker and hypothermic because all of the tubing is exposed to the air. You kind of have to finagle where you want the machine. It is usually pretty challenging, not challenging, but it can get pretty cultured if you have a patient that is on a ventilator, CRRT machine, Bare Hugger to keep them warm, and whatever else you want to add to the room. The more devices you add, the more crowed it gets. Most of the rooms are good sized.
Interviewer: The limited space in the patient room when you put the CRRT machine in.
Interviewee: Yeah, it is a big machine, and it doesn’t take kindly to being moved very much, and also
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Interviewer: Yes.
Interviewee: I think that the environment can be difficult because the patients are so sick, so things like ancillary staff to help. Like, we place a line to do CRRT, but the x-ray tech is busy and we need to verify the placement before we can start them. We send a lot of labs for CRRT and that can affect your workload and it can be difficult if we are waiting on labs to make these pretty important changes in their care. That type of thing can be a challenge environmentally.
Interviewer: Being a float, do you notice any changes across the units you have worked in?
Interviewee: Yeah, a little bit. In general, it has to do with the population. Like on 12K, their population is usually renal failure to heart failure. The cardiac insult has led to the renal insult, and so there is a difference in medications they are using to repair the original problem. On medical, a lot of times it is sepsis, so you are not a cardiac indicator for what is happening and more antibiotics and that type of