Enfermería y drogas adrenérgicas en una unidad de cuidados intensivos

Abstract

Adrenergic drugs are very useful to treat critically ill patients with hemodynamic instability; these drugs stimulate the alpha and beta adrenergic receptors, acting on a certain adrenoreceptor subtype. Therefore, it can be deduced that, the incorrect administration of the same, can have repercussions in the recovery and stability of the patients. The general objective was to determine the knowledge about adrenergic drugs that nursing has in an Intensive Care Unit. The methodology was based on the quantitative approach, with a non-experimental, descriptive, field and cross-sectional design. The technique used was the survey and a questionnaire that was applied to a sample comprised of 35 nursing professionals. The most outstanding results indicated that , 83 % of the sample f ound that adrenaline is no t indicated in cases of congestive hear t failure, 46 % had de ficient knowledge in the indication o f dopamine, 63 % did no t know the receptors stimulated by the adrenaline, and 80 % were unaware of the distribution in the blood - brain barrier. It was concluded that the nursing staff had regular knowledge about adrenergic drugs and that it is necessary to design and implement a manual or protocol to guide and update specialized and safe care.