Nursing care of patients in intermaxillary fixation.

Often patients in IMF are healthier, tend to be more independent, and have shorter hospital stays than many patients hospitalized for other reasons. This is by no means any indication that they do not require close assessment and skilled nursing care. While recovering from anesthesia, airway obstruction and vomiting are real dangers. Although wire cutters are a necessary safety precaution and a part of the legal standard of practice, nurses and patients should not rely solely on them in the incidence of shortness of breath or vomiting. Nurses and patients should know the proper technique for clearing the mouth and airway of a patient in IMF. Hemorrhage evaluation and secretion control also require skilled observation and assistance by the nurse. Patients in IMF benefit from a decrease in anxiety levels when they are educated in airway clearance, secretion control, comfort measures, and diet. The nursing care of patients in IMF is rewarding and challenging for many areas of nursing.