Long Term Acute Care Nurses are bridging the transition from intensive care to home. LTAC patients typically transfer from an intensive care unit and are receiving ventilator assistance. Some patients have large open wounds or other acute problems. The patient may be on inotropic agents and require careful monitoring.
Most patients in these units, age 18 and up, have an average stay of 25 days or longer. LTAC RN’s state that one of the most challenging aspects of caring for these patients is managing multiple, long-term, complex medical conditions, multiple system failures, and the patient’s anxiety.
LTAC is the final stop when trying to wean patients off a respirator, and most patients in these units have been in the hospital for many months by the time they reach this phase. It is a long, hard road for them, and some are nearing wit’s end by the time they reach this … Read More