Answer: Today's NCLEX Question of the Day
The answer is C) Notify the provider immediately about suspected compartment syndrome.
Pain out of proportion to the injury, pain that opioids don't touch, pain with passive stretch of the toes, plus numbness/tingling and coolness are warning signs of acute compartment syndrome. Pressure is building inside the muscle compartment and cutting off blood flow and nerve function. It's an emergency: the cast may need to be split or removed and the client may need a fasciotomy, so the provider needs to know right away.
Why not the others: A, raising the leg well above the heart, can further reduce arterial flow into a compartment already under pressure (keep it at heart level). B, ice, can also reduce blood flow and delays treatment. D, more opioid, masks the main warning sign and wastes critical time.
NCLEX tip: remember the 5 Ps (pain, pallor, pulselessness, paresthesia, paralysis). Pain and paresthesia show up early; don't wait for a lost pulse.
How did you do? Tell us below.
Did you get it right? Which other ortho emergencies do you always watch for after a fracture?
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