This assignment will look at the high acuity needs of James and why he was initially nursed in the HDU instead of on an orthopedic or genitourinary ward.

... When an oncoming car crossed the median strip it crashed into James who was riding his motorcycle, inflicting upon him serious pelvic injuries. His pelvis was broken and his bladder was ruptured. On admittance to the emergency department via an ambulance, James went to the operating theatre (OT) for surgery and was sent from the OT to the high dependency unit (HDU) for a higher level of nursing care than he may have received if he had been sent to another ward. When he was admitted to HDU he had a central venous (CV) line, an arterial line, drain's, external fixation devices and an indwelling catheter protruding from his body, all designed to assist his body to heal but these aids also provided a portal of infection into the body. Infection is a high source of mortality and morbidity in intensive care settings and much of the care James

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