Chapter 62: Caring for Clients with Traumatic Musculoskeletal Injuries

Which assessment findings would cause the nurse to suspect compartment syndrome after casting of the leg?

Complaints of numbness and tingling in toes of affected leg

A nurse is caring for a client who has suffered a hip fracture and who will require an extended hospital stay. The nurse should ensure that the client does what action to prevent common complications associated with a hip fracture?

Increase fluid intake and perform prescribed foot exercises.

There are a variety of problems that can become complications after a fracture. Which is described as a condition that occurs from interruption of the blood supply to the fracture fragments after which the bone tissue dies, most commonly in the femoral head?

avascular necrosis

A client has been diagnosed with a muscle strain. What does the physician mean with the term "strain"?

stretched or pulled beyond its capacity

A patient sustained an open fracture of the femur 24 hours ago. While assessing the patient, the nurse observes the patient is having difficulty breathing, and oxygen saturation decreases to 88% from a previous 99%. What does the nurse understand is likely occurring with this patient?

Fat emboli

A nurse is preparing to discharge a client from the emergency department after receiving treatment for an ankle sprain. While providing discharge education, the nurse should encourage what action?

Keep an elastic compression bandage on the ankle.

An elite high school football player has been diagnosed with a shoulder dislocation. The client has been treated and is eager to resume his role on his team, stating that he is not experiencing pain. What should the nurse emphasize during health education?

The importance of adhering to the prescribed treatment and rehabilitation regimen

A client who has injured a hip in a fall cannot place weight on the leg and is in significant pain. After radiographs indicate intact yet malpositioned bones, what repair would the physician to perform?

joint manipulation and immobilization

The client scheduled for a Syme amputation is concerned about the ability to eventually stand on the amputated extremity. How should the nurse best respond to the client's concern?

"You will eventually be able to withstand full weight-bearing after the amputation."

A fracture is considered pathologic when it

occurs through an area of diseased bone.

A client is brought to the emergency department by ambulance after stepping in a hole and falling. While assessing him the nurse notes that his right leg is shorter than his left leg; his right hip is noticeably deformed and he is in acute pain. Imaging does not reveal a fracture. What is the most plausible explanation for this client's signs and symptoms?

Traumatic hip dislocation

Which term refers to an injury to ligaments and other soft tissues surrounding a joint?

Sprain

Fat emboli are a major cause of death for patients with fractures. What are the significant signs and symptoms? Select all that apply.

A petechiae possibly due to a transient thrombocytopenia B. substernal chest pain D. hypoxia

A client is treated in the emergency department for acute muscle strain in the left leg caused by trying a new exercise. During discharge preparation, the nurse should provide which instruction?

"Apply ice packs for the first 24 to 48 hours, then apply heat packs."

A nurse is performing a shift assessment on an elderly client who is recovering after surgery for a hip fracture. The client reports chest pain, has an increased heart rate, and increased respiratory rate. The nurse further notes that the client is febrile and hypoxic, coughing, and producing large amounts of thick, white sputum. The nurse recognizes that this is a medical emergency and calls for assistance, recognizing that this client is likely demonstrating symptoms of what complication?

Fat embolism syndrome

The type of fracture described as having one side of the bone broken and the other side bent would be:

greenstick

Which term refers to a fracture in which one side of a bone is broken and the other side is bent?

greenstick

Which of the following is a term used to describe a soft tissue injury produced by a blunt force?

Contusion

Which factor inhibits fracture healing?

History of diabetes

The surgical nurse is admitting a client from postanesthetic recovery following the client's below-the-knee amputation. The nurse recognizes the client's high risk for postoperative hemorrhage and should keep what equipment at the bedside?

A tourniquet

The nurse is caring for a patient who sustained an open fracture of the right femur in an automobile accident. What does the nurse understand is the most serious complication of an open fracture?

Infection

A client who has had an amputation is being cared for by a multidisciplinary rehabilitation team. What is the primary goal of this multidisciplinary team?

Promote the client's highest possible level of function

A client has had surgical repair of a hip injury after joint manipulation was unsuccessful. After surgery, the nurse implements measures to prevent complications. Which complications is the nurse seeking to prevent? Select all that apply.

skin breakdown wound infection pneumonia

Emergency medical technicians transport a client to the emergency department and inform the nurse that the client fell from a two-story building. The comatose client has a large contusion on the left side of the chest, a hematoma in the left parietal area, and a compound fracture of the left femur. The client was intubated and is maintaining an arterial oxygen saturation of 92% by pulse oximeter with a manual-resuscitation bag. Which intervention by the nurse has the highest priority?

Assessing level of consciousness (LOC)

The client with a fractured left humerus reports dyspnea and chest pain. Pulse oximetry is 88%. Temperature is 100.2 degrees Fahrenheit (38.5 degrees Centigrade); heart rate is 110 beats per minute; respiratory rate is 32 breaths per minute. The nurse suspects the client is experiencing:

Fat embolism syndrome

Which term refers to a break in the continuity of a bone?

Fracture

A client is brought in by ambulance to the emergency department after being involved in a motorcycle accident. The client has an open fracture on his tibia. The wound is highly contaminated and there is extensive soft- tissue damage. How would this client's fracture likely be graded?

Grade III

A client has sustained a long bone fracture and the nurse is preparing the client's care plan. Which of the following should the nurse include in the care plan?

Monitor temperature and pulses of the affected extremity.

A client is brought to the emergency department after injuring the right arm in a bicycle accident. The orthopedic surgeon tells the nurse that the client has a greenstick fracture of the arm. What does this mean?

One side of the bone is broken and the other side is bent.

Which of the following musculoskeletal injuries is manifested by acromioclavicular joint pain?

Rotator cuff tears

A school nurse is assessing a student who was kicked in the shin during a soccer game. The area of the injury has become swollen and discolored. The triage nurse should organize care for a:

contusion.

How long does it take for the bone to regain its former structural strength after a break?

2 years

A nurse is planning the care of a client with osteomyelitis that resulted from a diabetic foot ulcer. The client requires a transmetatarsal amputation. When planning the client's postoperative care, which of the following nursing diagnoses should the nurse most likely include in the plan of care?

Disturbed Body Image

A client undergoes open reduction with internal fixation to treat an intertrochanteric fracture of the right hip. The nurse should include which intervention in the postoperative care plan?

Keeping a pillow between the client's legs at all times

When the client who has experienced trauma to an extremity reports severe burning pain, vasomotor changes, and muscles spasms in the injured extremity, the nurse recognizes that the client is likely demonstrating signs of

complex regional pain syndrome.

A client is brought to the emergency department after being struck with a baseball bat on the upper arm while diving for a pitched ball. Diagnostic tests reveal that the humerus is not broken but that the client has suffered another type of injury. What type of injury would the physician likely diagnose?

contusion

A client has had surgical repair of a hip injury after joint manipulation was unsuccessful. In addition to the regular postoperative assessments prescribed by policy, what assessment is completed every 30 minutes for several hours?

neurovascular

A client who has fallen and injured a hip cannot place weight on the leg and is in significant pain. After radiographs indicate intact but malpositioned bones, what would the physician diagnose?

dislocation

A patient has stepped in a hole in the yard, causing an ankle injury. The ankle is edematous and painful to palpation. How long should the nurse inform the patient that the acute inflammatory stage will last?

Between 24 and 48 hours

A client has been in a motor vehicle collision. Radiographs indicate a fractured humerus; the client is awaiting the casting of the upper extremity and admission to the orthopedic unit. What is the primary treatment for musculoskeletal trauma?

immobilaztion

A young client is being treated for a femoral fracture suffered in a snowboarding accident. The nurse's most recent assessment reveals that the client is uncharacteristically confused. What diagnostic test should be performed on this client?

Arterial blood gases

A client presents to the emergency department gently holding the left arm, which is slightly swollen and painful to the touch. Based on these findings, the nurse:

Elevates the arm and applies an ice pack

Which general nursing measure is used for a client with a fracture reduction?

Encourage participation in ADLs

Which nursing intervention is appropriate for a client with a closed-reduction extremity fracture?

Encourage participation in ADLs

A nurse is caring for a client who had a right below-the-knee amputation (BKA). The nurse recognizes the importance of implementing measures that focus on preventing flexion contracture of the hip and maintaining proper positioning. What nursing action will best achieve these goals?

Encouraging the client to turn from side to side and to assume a prone position

A nurse is caring for a client who has suffered an unstable thoracolumbar fracture. What goal should the nurse prioritize during nursing care?

Maintaining spinal alignment

A client with a traumatic amputation of the right lower leg is refusing to look at the leg. Which action by the nurse is most appropriate?

Provide feedback on the client's strengths and available resources.

A nurse advises a patient with a casted femur fracture to check for signs of a fat embolism. She tells the patient that the onset of symptoms for FES occur:

Within 12 to 48 hours.

An x-ray demonstrates a fracture in which a bone has splintered into several pieces. Which type of fracture is this?

comminuted

Which is not one of the general nursing measures employed when caring for the client with a fracture?

cranial nerve assessment

An emergency department client is diagnosed with a hip dislocation. The client's family is relieved that the client has not suffered a hip fracture, but the nurse explains that this is still considered to be a medical emergency. What is the rationale for the nurse's statement?

Avascular necrosis may develop at the site if it is not promptly resolved.

A client has come to the orthopedic clinic for a follow-up appointment 6 weeks after fracturing his ankle. Diagnostic imaging reveals that bone union is not taking place. What factor may have contributed to this complication?

Inadequate immobilization

A client experienced an open fracture to the left femur during a horse-riding accident. For which complication is this client at highest risk?

Infection

What nursing intervention should the nurse prioritize to facilitate healing in a client who has suffered a hip fracture?

Place a pillow between the client's legs when turning.

Which nursing intervention is essential in caring for a client with compartment syndrome?

Removing all external sources of pressure, such as clothing and jewelry

An x-ray demonstrates a fracture in which a bone has splintered into several pieces. Which type of fracture is this?

Comminuted