What is a Telemetry Nurse?
A telemetry nurse is a health care professional whose primary job is to monitor various life-support monitoring equipment and provide real-time care to patients in critical conditions. Telemetry nurses are usually nurse practitioners or registered nurses with specialized training.
What is Telemetry Nursing?
Telemetry nurses are progressive care health professionals. As a team, telemetry nurses are sometimes referred to as an intermediate or transitional care unit. They provide direct observation and constant care to patients who require constant monitoring for a variety of diseases, such as heart attacks, renal failure and advanced cancer. However, sometimes these patients progress from a less critical state to a more critical one, such as those being prepped for surgery, but also from a more critical state to a less critical one, such as those who recently received surgery.
Telemetry Nurse Duties
Telemetry nurses primarily care for patients in critical condition who need constant care and monitoring. Telemetry nurses accomplish this through monitoring and reviewing medical data from special equipment that tracks the patient’s vitals, such as heart, breathing and blood pressure rates. At the same time, they perform traditional nursing duties like administering medications and communicating with patients and families regarding the specific condition. While some telemetry nurses deal with general conditions, others specialize in neurological or emergency care. One of the most common specializations is cardiac telemetry.
Cardiac Telemetry
Cardiac telemetry nurses specialize in cardiac care and in the use of electrocardiogram equipment. They must systematically apply their nursing judgment skills to perform assessments designed to evaluate pain, psycho-social background and patient education needs. Based on this information, they must identify risks, make diagnoses, generate goals and establish expectations. They must be able to continually prioritize and implement changing nursing plans in accordance with updates or new information. They collaborate with patient team members on a daily basis to coordinate care and meet the needs of their patients.
What Education is Required?
Most telemetry nurses must have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree with additional hands-on training. First level RNs must have at least six months of employment experience while second level RNs must have at least a year. Telemetry nurses are expected to have advanced academic training in a sub-specialization. By way of illustration, a cardiac telemetry nurse must know how to monitor and interpret cardiac rhythm data and respond to emergencies with appropriate drug dosages and invasive treatment procedures.
Cardiac Terms that Every Telemetry Nurse Needs to Know
Atherosclerosis: “Fatty Deposits that can clog arteries” AHA
Heart Bypass aka: CABG/Open-Heart Surgery: When arteries get clogged/narrow this = less blood flow to the heart. CABG is a surgery used when medications & other interventions aren’t working. During this surgery a vessel from another part of the body is used to “bypass” the blocker artery. This allows more blood to get to heart muscle HealthLine & AHA
CAD (Coronary Artery Disease) & CHD (Coronary Heart Disease): Often used interchangeably with CHD. CAD causes CHD. CAD is buildup of plaque in the coronary arteries. And it actually begins earlier than one would think. Then more that the plaque builds up the more narrowing which eventually decrease blood flow to heart. AHA
Cardiac Ablation: Procedure that helps correct arrhythmia. “works by scarring or destroying tissue in your heart that triggers or sustains an abnormal heart rhythm.” –Mayo Clinic Cardiac Ablations
Cardiac catheterization (heart cath): Checks the heart with a flexible tube. It can check blood flow through the heart and check for blocked arteries
Cardioversion: It is a “procedure that uses external electric shocks to restore a normal heart rhythm”. It is sometimes used for Atrial fibrillation. A machine give low energy shocks to restore the heart’s normal NIH
ECG or EKG: Gives information about the electricity in the heart. This can help diagnose myocardial infarctions (heart attacks), arrhythmia, and other such abnormalities.
Echocardiogram:This is a cardiac ultrasound. It gives the function of the heart (ejection fraction normal 55-60%). It tells about the heart wall & valves. It can tell if there is any regurgitation. It can help diagnose many different conditions including heart failure, valve heart disease. Note that there are different types of echos (TEE, Stress echocardiogram, dobutamine stress echocardiogram,etc)
Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: AKA: PCI, angioplasty: Opens blocked arteries in the heart
Stents: Placed during PCI for blocked arteries. Helps to restore blood flow to heart muscle. Patient will usually be on anticoagulant for specific period of time.
Stress test: test that allows for information regarding how heart responds (and ability) to external stressors
TEE: Is a type of cardiac echo that bypasses the lungs & chest therefore giving a clearer image of the heart. A special tube is inserted into the throat & down the esophagus.WebMd
Transcutaneous Pacing (TCP): This is for symptomatic bradycardia patients especially when atropine does not help. It delivers pacing impulses. Patients are usually sedated as this can be painful. Often this is used until a transvenous pacemaker can be placed.
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