Thoughts on the A-F bundle

 I was always told to stay humble,

I was told let others speak about the things you do,

So I’ll talk about the A to F bundle,

It should be fundamental in every ICU,

If your not then that a major fumble,

Mobilising is good for patients research shows it’s true.

I’m tired of listening to all this squawking,

People who never been intubated telling us what is true?

Maybe you should all start listening and stop talking,

Delirium and acquired weakness are game changers,

Making your body feel like a dam stranger.

People who think sedating is humane,

What is going on in your dam brain,

Increases length of stay, delirium just to name some,

Disabilities, distress and insecurity what you’re imposing.

Let’s look at the bundle and what it does,

A- assess for pain and manage it appropriately,

B- breathing and awakening trials, 

Pausing sedation and making patient do more of the breathing work,

C- choice of sedative and analgesia, 

ensure your using the best ones,

D- Delirium assess, prevent and manage,

Stop the things that cause it and make the patient feel safe,

E- early exercise and mobilisation, 

Protect what’s there and reduce damage that will be done,

F- family it’s the worse time for them too,

Help them survive the stress their going through,

So they can help you too.

So let’s review all the things we do,

When you think of ICU ,

We all know what we should do,

Use the bundle that’s proven true,

To help more people survive the ICU.