A Patient Has an Open Reduction of a Radial Fracture

question 40

Multiple Choice

A patient has an open reduction of a radial fracture and is casted.Several hours after the operation,the patient reports a throbbing pain in the arm.What nursing action is essential for the nurse to take?

• A) Reposition arm.
• B) Perform neurovascular checks.
• C) Administer analgesics as ordered.
• D) Notify the physician immediately.

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Definitions:

Glossopharyngeal

A cranial nerve (IX) that manages taste and other functions in the throat and tongue.

Abducens

Refers to the sixth cranial nerve, which controls the lateral rectus muscle of the eye, responsible for outward eye movement.

White Rami Communicantes

Nerve fibers connecting the spinal nerves to the sympathetic chain, important for the sympathetic nervous system's responses.

Preganglionic Axons

Axons of nerve cells that originate in the central nervous system and extend to a ganglion, transmitting nerve impulses.