Rockstar RN Network

01/10/2023

🦠PUBLIC HEALTH COVID UPDATE🦠

⬆️ COVID hospitalizations have increased significantly due to holiday gatherings, social events, and highly transmissible new variants. Hospital admissions have doubled in some areas.

⚠️As of Jan. 9, a daily average of 47,191 people were hospitalized with COVID-19, up 17% in the last two weeks, and the highest figure seen since March 2022. New admissions also jumped 16.1% in the 7-day period ending Jan. 3, 2023.

⬆️ Overall, COVID-19 hospitalizations are increasing in 31 states, with many states in the Northeast reporting the highest per-capita hospitalization rates.

Here are the states with the highest hospitalization rate per 100,000 residents:

Washington, D.C.: 37
Hospitalizations: 260 daily average as of Jan. 9

Delaware: 27
Hospitalizations: 267

North Carolina: 27
Hospitalizations: 2,834

Connecticut: 24
Hospitalizations: 866

New York: 23
Hospitalizations: 4,480

West Virginia: 20
Hospitalizations: 358

Massachusetts: 20
Hospitalizations: 1,359

New Jersey: 20
Hospitalizations: 1,749

Maryland: 19
Hospitalizations: 1,161

Georgia: 18
Hospitalizations: 1,922

Ten states with the largest 14-day increase in average daily COVID-19 hospitalizations:

Mississippi: 95 percent increase
Hospitalizations: 452 daily average as of Jan. 9

Alabama: 62 percent
Hospitalizations: 675

Louisiana: 62 percent
Hospitalizations: 492

South Carolina: 54 percent
Hospitalizations: 729

Virginia: 48 percent
Hospitalizations: 1,276

Florida: 48 percent
Hospitalizations: 3,044

North Carolina: 41 percent
Hospitalizations: 2,834

Massachusetts: 40 percent
Hospitalizations: 1,359

Georgia: 39 percent
Hospitalizations: 1,922

Texas: 36 percent
Hospitalizations: 3,600

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/public-health/covid-19-admissions-jump-where-theyre-highest-rising-fastest.html

The U.S. is seeing a double-digit increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations as new highly transmissible omicron strains circulate nationwide.

01/04/2023

12/19/2022

❤️AMAZING! This is surgical decortication and pericardiectomy (the waffle procedure) for constructive pericarditis.

In normal, non-diseased anatomy, the heart resides in a fibro-serous sack called the pericardium. The pericardium protects the heart from infection and trauma. In constrictive pericarditis, the pericardium becomes thickened and fibrotic, not allowing the heart to expand and thus changes the normal physiology of cardiac function. Patients often suffer from severe right heart failure leading to lower extremity edema, abdominal distention, ascites, and cirrhosis. Echo remains the hallmark for the initial diagnosis of constriction. Common causes of construction are idiopathic, post surgical, TB, and radiation.

❤️🩺Pericardiectomy is the predominant definitive treatment. Cardiac surgeons cut the thickened pericardium to improve the heart contractibility. The thickened pericardium prevents the heart from expanding and contracting to it's fullest extent, so they cut it in a crosshatch pattern, improving hemodynamic function. If not recognized, patients suffer from severe right heart failure/cirrhosis.

Video footage:

12/16/2022

‼️ATTN NURSES:

I don’t know if you need to hear this, but don’t let anyone ever tell you that you’re not a nurse if you get out of bedside and do something else.  Please don’t think that you’re any less of a nurse because you’re not at the bedside performing back-breaking work for 12 hours a day. You are NOT trapped in a miserable job. Your skills will take you anywhere you want to be. There are many other avenues you can take in nursing, and still use your skills. You may just use a different set of them. Don’t stay a prisoner of something just because it took you a long time to build it. You have many choices.

Now go out and be happy, appreciated, and the rockstar nurse that you are, in a position that gives you the most life balance! 👩🏻‍⚕️💖

12/11/2022

👩🏻‍⚕️🩺🏥

12/08/2022

Average weekly US travel RN rates, state by state:

Alabama
October: $2,470
November: $2,558

Alaska
October: $3,359
November: $3,310

Arizona
October: $2,988
November: $3,154

Arkansas
October: $2,701
November: $2,958

California
October: $3,811
November: $4,060

Colorado
October: $2,928
November: $3,027

Connecticut
October: $3,285
November: $3,267

Delaware
October: $3,124
November: $3,054

Florida
October: $2,487
November: $2,600

Georgia
October: $2,804
November: $2,815

Hawaii
October: $3,060
November: $3,102

Idaho
October: $2,843
November: $3,038

Illinois
October: $3,130
November: $3,237

Indiana
October: $3,145
November: $3,203

Iowa
October: $2,970
November: $3,169

Kansas
October: $2,649
November: $2,668

Kentucky
October: $2,889
November: $2,975

Louisiana
October: $2,765
November: $2,801

Maine
October: $3,377
November: $3,374

Maryland
October: $3,069
November: $3,266

Massachusetts
October: $3,368
November: $3,505

Michigan
October: $2,831
November: $3,123

Minnesota
October: $3,246
November: $3,458

Mississippi
October: $2,563
November: $2,603

Missouri
October: $2,815
November: $2,963

Montana
October: $2,832
November: $2,868

Nebraska
October: $3,114
November: $3,150

Nevada
October: $3,111
November: $3,199

New Hampshire
October: $3,105
November: $3,304

New Jersey
October: $3,529
November: $3,894

New Mexico
October: $2,943
November: $3,115

New York
October: $3,206
November: $3,406

North Carolina
October: $2,908
November: $2,978

North Dakota
October: $3,265
November: $3,181

Ohio
October: $2,982
November: $3,086

Oklahoma
October: $2,637
November: $2,612

Oregon
October: $3,311
November: $3,424

Pennsylvania
October: $3,440
November: $3,424

Rhode Island
October: $3,131
November: $3,148

South Carolina
October: $2,655
November: $2,728

South Dakota
October: $3,222
November: $3,343

Tennessee
October: $2,623
November: $2,733

Texas
October: $2,673
November: $2,750

Utah
October: $2,802
November: $2,797

Vermont
October: $3,382
November: $3,451

Virginia
October: $2,987
November: $3,080

Washington
October: $3,230
November: $3,293

Washington, D.C.
October: $3,553
November: $3,504

West Virginia
October: $3,134
November: $3,330

Wisconsin
October: $2,985
November: $3,184

Wyoming
October: $3,346
November: $3,321

12/08/2022

Let’s have a heart-to-heart about EKGs 😊❤️

12/05/2022

⚠️The CDC has identified an unprecedented global increase of Cholera infections, with large outbreaks currently occurring in Haiti, Malawi, and Syria. Currently, CDC considers 25 countries to have active cholera transmission.

Thus far in 2022, 8 travelers with Cholera have returned to the United States from Pakistan, Iraq, and Bangladesh. Although Cholera in travelers is rare and sustained community transmission in the United States is unlikely, widespread Cholera outbreaks in other countries highlight the need for clinicians in the United States to be prepared to treat travelers with Cholera, as they could arrive in the United States at any time.

🩺Clinicians evaluating patients with acute onset of watery diarrhea should obtain a travel history, consider cholera in patients returning from affected regions, obtain a stool specimen for testing, and begin prompt treatment.

‼️Without treatment, death can occur within hours.

12/04/2022

Influenza is RAGING right now. It’s been on a very early and steep trajectory since it started, and is quite concerning. Along with Covid and RSV, we are headed into another very bad situation. Please get your flu shot and wear a mask if you need to be around others. Here are the influenza cases at October 8, 2022 and November 26, 2022. It’s spreading at an alarming rate. Flu still kills thousands of people. CDC estimates that, so far this season, there have been at least 8.7 million illnesses, 78,000 hospitalizations, and 4,500 deaths from flu.
Masks and vaccines work. Please use both.
💉😷💜

https://gis.cdc.gov/grasp/fluview/main.html

12/01/2022

‼️ATTN CLINICAL PERSONNEL:

🛑As of Wednesday, November 30, 2022, Bebtelovimab is no longer authorized for use in the US against the predominant circulating strains of SARS-CoV-2. Data has shown it does NOT neutralize the BQ.1 and BQ1.1 variants, which are now circulating at approximately 60% in the USA.

No further orders of Bebtelovimab will be shipped by the USG, Eli Lilly and their associated distribution partners.
Providers are advised to retain their current stocks of Bebtelovimab until further notice.

Please refer to the FDA website for alternative options for treatment of COVID-19 infections to include the use of the antivirals: Paxlovid, Lagevrio and Veklury. These antivirals continue to remain active against the current, predominate circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants.

11/18/2022

A little chat about Type 2 Diabetes. 👩🏻‍⚕️🩺

11/16/2022

Covid Omicron variants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 evade immunity from vaccines or past infection. Disease experts have described the pair as "the most evasive yet" because of their ability to completely resist monoclonal antibody drugs. The bivalent Omicron booster will offer protection against the pair since they're descendents of BA.5, which the updated shots were designed to target. If you didn’t get the bivalent booster, you’re not protected against these variants.

11/16/2022

Congrats to the 22 US hospitals that have achieved consecutive "A" grades for safety since 2012:

Arizona
Mayo Clinic Hospital (Phoenix)

California
French Hospital Medical Center (San Luis Obispo)
Kaiser Permanente Orange County-Anaheim Medical Center
Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center (San Luis Obispo)

Colorado
Rose Medical Center (Denver)

Florida
AdventHealth Daytona Beach

Illinois
Elmhurst Memorial Hospital
Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital (Winfield)
University of Chicago Medical Center

Massachusetts
Beverly Hospital
Saint Anne's Hospital (River Fall)

Michigan
University of Michigan Health (Ann Arbor)

Mississippi
Baptist Memorial Hospital Golden Triangle (Columbus)

North Carolina
Rex Hospital (Raleigh)

Ohio
OhioHealth Dublin Methodist Hospital
OhioHealth Grady Memorial Hospital (Delaware)

Texas
St. David's Medical Center (Austin)

Virginia
Inova Loudoun Hospital (Leesburg)
Sentara CarePlex Hospital (Hampton)
Sentara Leigh Hospital (Norfolk)
Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center

Washington
Virginia Mason Medical Center (Seattle)

11/11/2022

11/09/2022

‼️NURSES REMEMBER:

Refusing an unsafe assignment due to sub-standard staffing ratios, lack of PPE/equipment, lack of proper training or orientation, threat to personal safety, or lack of proper resources is perfectly legal.

🛑 Do not let facility management intimidate you into thinking it isn’t. It is NOT abandonment if you never clock in and take the assignment. Don’t ever take report in a situation that is unsafe, because that is then legally accepting the assignment. If you leave after that, you can be charged with abandonment.

➡️ If you’re afraid of retaliation by the facility (which IS illegal), and feel like you have no choice but to work the shift, print a “Protest of Assignment” form or “Assignment Despite Objection” form and fill it out. Keep copies for your records. This will help you later. You can find these if you search your state and “protest of assignment” or you can use one from National Nurses United. ALWAYS know where and how to obtain one of these. Here’s the link:

https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/sites/default/files/nnu/documents/0522_ADO_Electronic_Form.pdf

11/09/2022

Did you know? ❤️