A nurse is caring for a client who has a fractured hip and was placed in Buck's traction 4 hr

ago. Which of the following actions should the nurse take?

a. Inspect the client's skin underneath the boot every 12 hr

b. Encourage the client to perform dorsiflexion of the affected extremity every 2 hr

c. Remove the weights from the traction while repositioning the client in bed

d. Loosen the ropes if the client reports muscle spasms in the affected extremity - CORRECT

ANSWER✔✔B. Encourage the client to perform dorsiflexion of the affected extremity

every 2 hr ---The nurse should encourage the client to perform dorsiflexion of the affected

extremity every 2 hours to assess if the client is experiencing nerve damage. Weakness of

dorsiflexion can indicate peroneal nerve damage. If this occurs, the nurse should notify the

provider immediately.

Incorrect Answers:

A. The nurse should inspect the client's skin underneath the boot for irritation, increased

swelling, and skin breakdown every 8 hours.

C. The weights should never be removed without a prescription from the provider. The

purpose of the weights is to decrease muscle spasms as a result of the hip fracture.

D. The ropes of the traction should never be loosened. This can affect the traction and

increase the client's muscle spasms.

A nurse is caring for a client who has a fractured right hip. Which of the following types of

traction should the nurse expect the client to have prior to hip arthroplasty surgery?

a. Balanced skeletal traction

b. Pelvic belt

c. Pelvic sling

d. Buck's traction - CORRECT ANSWER✔✔D. Buck's traction---Buck's traction is used prior

to hip arthroplasty to maintain alignment and prevent muscle spasms prior to surgery.

Incorrect Answers: