Chamberlain College of Nursing
NR 305 Health Assessment
JOURNAL ARTICLE REVIEW SAMPLE PAPER
The attached sample Journal Article Review Paper is based on the following journal article
which can be retrieved from CINAHL Plus with Full Text database.
NOTE: This is NOT the article you are to review! It is for educational purposes only.
Please refer to the NR305 Journal Article Review Guidelines, located in Doc Sharing, for
information regarding the article you are to retrieve from the library for your assignment.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
FOR SAMPLE
JOURNAL ARTICLE REVIEW PAPER
Title: Penetrating and blunt abdominal trauma.
Author: Eckert, K.L.
Journal: Crit ic al Care Nurs ing Quart erly , V olume 28, Is s ue #1, pages 41-59
Date: 2005
DIRECTIONS
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TO RETRIEVE
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Enter library through http://library.chamberlain.edu/
Click on Databases on the left-sided menu.
Click on CINAHL Plus with Full-Text [EBSCO]
Login if necessary.
Click on Medline & CINAHL.
Click to check CINAHL Plus with Full Text, click on link
Click on the Publications tab in the top menu.
Type in full name of journal desired and then Browse.
Click on name of journal.
Select year of publication and volume number of article.
Scroll through results list until desired article appears and click on Full Text. Save it!
To find additional journal articles, go back to Step Six, entering the next journal name in
Publications box.
Instructions on how to retrieve articles may be found by going to the library home page, clicking
on Research Help, and then clicking on the link on how to retrieve assigned articles.
APA FORMATTING
IN THIS
SAMPLE PAPER
IS BASED ON:
American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological
Association (6th ed.). Washington, D.C.: Author.
Sample Journal Article Review.docx
Revised 5/17/2013 jm
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Running head: JOURNAL ARTICLE REVIEW #2
Page number goes in
header so that it
automatically advances.
Use WORD Insert page #
Running head only goes on the title
page and should be on the same line
as the page number in the header of
the paper.
Journal Article Review #2
A Good Student Chamberlain
College of Nursing NR 305
Health Assessment
Dr. T. Professor
Instructor is not
part of APA, but it
is part of a college
paper.
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Fall B 2010
JOURNAL ARTICLE REVIEW #2
Short title
goes here
Journal Article Review #2
Introduction
“Introduction” is not
required by APA, but it may
be used. Because it is a
scored element in this
paper, please include it as a
heading.
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‘Penetrating and blunt abdominal trauma’ is an article published in Critical Care Nursing
Quarterly in the January to March, 2005 issue, written by Kristine L. Eckert. In this article,
Kristine Eckert provides an overview of abdominal trauma related to penetrating and blunt
mechanisms of injury. There are different case studies provided to illustrate interventions and
treatments of different types of trauma. This article also provides an overview of the anatomy
and physiology of the different organ systems, with complications being briefly discussed.
Summary of Article
The abdomen is divided anatomically into the peritoneal space, the retroperitoneal space,
and the pelvis. There are both solid and hollow organs in these areas. Trauma to any of these
areas in the abdomen can lead to complications including hemorrhage, shock, peritonitis, and
sepsis. ”Before considering a bowel injury, the patient’s respiratory, hemodynamic, and
neurologic status should be evaluated because of a much greater immediate threat to life from
these systems rather than a delay in bowel injury” (Eckert, 2005, p. 50). The differences between
penetrating and blunt abdominal trauma and their threat to life are further illustrated in the four
case studies discussed in this article.
The first two case studies considered penetrating abdominal traumas. In the first case
study, a male patient sustains gunshot wounds to his chest, back, and leg. With the gunshot
wound, he suffers hemothorax, injuries to his lungs, bilateral kidney, diaphragm, liver and small
bowel, laceration of spleen, and tear to the distal end of his esophagus. The second case involves
a male victim of a drive-by shooting with two gunshots wound to the right buttock and left
lateral thigh. This type of gunshot wound is considered of the transabdominal nature, and the
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patient is a candidate for immediate surgery; computed tomography (CT) scanning was not
completed prior to entry to the Operating Room (OR). With these gunshot wounds, he suffers
bladder lacerations, perforation, retroperitoneal hematoma in the right pelvic area, and a gunshot
wound to his thigh, which left him with a femur fracture.
It is important to keep in mind that the external appearance of the wound does not
determine the extent of internal injury. By just looking at the external location of a gunshot
wound, certain organs or cavities may appear not to be involved. However, the trajectory of the
bullet plays an important role in the extent of internal injury. The trajectory of the bullet depends
on the caliber of the bullet, along with the angle and distance from which the gun was fired. The
bullet can change its path and refract off of bony surfaces. Therefore, the assessment should
include distinguishing the entrance and exit wounds and their locations, to assist in determining
the trajectory of the bullet and what organs may be involved. It is necessary to have an
exploratory laparotomy surgery for most gunshot wounds to the abdomen for damage control,
even though the wound may appear to be superficial. The principles of damage control surgery
are to: control hemorrhage, prevent contamination from the bowel, and to avoid further injury. In
conjunction with clinical findings and patient symptoms, CT scan of the chest, abdomen, and
pelvis with contrast, most commonly diagnose spleen and liver injuries. CT scan is the most
sensitive diagnostic tool for most abdominal trauma injuries. A FAST scan is an inexpensive and
rapid, noninvasive ultrasound that can be performed at the bedside to quickly evaluate intraabdominal hemorrhage (Eckert, 2005).
Examples of blunt abdominal traumas are presented in the last two case studies. In the
third case study, a restrained elderly female driver was involved in a motor vehicle crash without
airbag deployment. The female patient presents with unilateral weakness and complaints of chest
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pain. She has no visible trauma but her CT scan revealed liver laceration, multiple right rib
fractures, and a grade I pancreatic contusion. Later, diagnosis includes right calcaneus fracture
and a right proximal ulnar process fracture. The last case study is of a young female teenage
passenger involved in a motor vehicle collision. Her main complaint is primarily abdominal pain.
Assessment reveals an abrasion across the lower abdomen from iliac crest to iliac crest with mild
tenderness to palpation. Initial complete blood count is normal. However, within three hours, her
white count doubled, showing signs and symptoms of peritonitis. During surgery, a small bowel
and a large bowel laceration, and a minor spleen laceration were noted. Undetected abdominal
trauma can rapidly lead to death due to hemorrhage, shock, and sepsis. Common injuries due to
blunt abdominal trauma can include: tears to the liver, rupture spleen, pancreatic tear, duodenum
rupture, and kidney injuries.
Evaluation of Article
This is an interesting article, presenting an overview of both penetrating and blunt abdominal
trauma. After reading this article, a deeper insight into understanding of both penetrating and
blunt abdominal trauma is developed. The case studies are written in such a way to provide a
step-by-step occurrence to the scenarios, making one feel part of the experience. The case studies
help by providing a clearer picture and understanding of how each different injury led to a
different outcome. This writer especially likes the breakdown of different organs and systems,
and the significance they presented to each injury. The journal author provides a review of the
systems, which was refreshing to one’s memory while reading about each organ and system, thus
lending to the article being easily read. The injury grading scales of organs, such as the: liver,
spleen, kidney, and pancreas, were clearly graded. This breakdown helps one develop a better
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understanding of the different injury levels. The abdominal assessment signs are an interesting
tool to have, although they are not conclusive in diagnosis.
This writer does not personally work with trauma patients. However, this valuable
knowledge can come in handy when exposed to the chance to work with trauma patients. It helps
by looking at gunshot injuries and motor vehicle accident injuries from a different perspective.
One must look at a bigger picture and use critical thinking skills, as with all other injuries.
However, it is interesting to know that in both penetrating and blunt abdominal trauma that the
genitourinary system has the most common injuries.
This article also includes an assessment of trauma patients with: observation,
auscultation, perineum, rectal, and vaginal examinations. This assessment is clearly outlined, and
easily followed. The knowledge from this article can be relevant to both nurses and practitioners
because it provides a clear outline of the assessment process.
The only section found to be slightly irrelevant is the detail about the surgical procedure
in the first case study. However, it is not redundant. Actually, the information regarding the
surgical procedure is found to be interesting, as it allows one to know the detail of the procedure
so that the whole process can be understood.
Conclusion
This article provides a practical overview of abdominal trauma, with incidence of abdominal
injuries being discussed and illustrated through case studies. Significant complications of
intestinal injury include wound dehiscence, wound infection, intra-abdominal abscess, short
bowel syndrome, and intestinal obstruction. The treatments and interventions discussed are
applicable to nursing assessment, clinical practice, and prevent of complications. In addition to
the anatomy and physiology of the different organ systems overviewed, the complications are
JOURNAL ARTICLE REVIEW #2
discussed, and the differences between solid and hollow organs are reviewed, all valuable
knowledge to develop.
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Reference
Eckert, K. L. (2005). Penetrating and blunt abdominal trauma. Critical Care Nursing Quarterly,
28(1), 41-59.