Question

A client is seen in the emergency room for a possible fractured wrist from a fall on the ice. The client tells the nurse that he has not been able to straighten the fingers of the injured hand/ wrist. What is the nurse's best action when hearing this? 1. Apply ice to the affected arm to reduce pain and edema . 2. Ask the client to massage and then wiggle the affected fingers . 3. Assess the client's neurovascular status on the affected hand . 4. Elevate the affected arm on pillow to reduce edema .

Answer 1

Ans) 3) Assess the client's neurovascular status on the affected hand.

Explaination:

- Assessment of neurovascular status is monitoring the 5 P's: pain, pallor, pulse, paresthesia, and paralysis. A brief description of compartment syndrome is presented to emphasize the importance of neurovascular assessments.