Final Exam - Med Surg Questions and Correct Answers 2025/2026

Final Exam - Med Surg Questions and Correct Answers 2025/2026 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 - 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 - 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: A. Balanced skeletal traction is used to stabilize fractures of the femur or pelvis, not the hip. Skeletal traction involves the surgical insertion of pins, tongs, wires, or screws; this is sometimes used to stabilize long bone and vertebral fractures. B. A pelvic belt is used to treat back pain and does not provide traction prior to hip arthroplasty.C. A pelvic sling is used to stabilize pelvic fractures, not hip fractures. A nurse is caring for a client with a hip fracture who has Buck's extension traction in place. Which of the following pieces of information should the nurse give the client about this type of traction? (Select all that apply.) a. "You'll have considerably less pain with the t