Nursing Care for Skeletal Traction Singapore

Nursing Care for Skeletal Traction Singapore

Overview

Skeletal traction is widely used in fixing bone fractures among patients. Usually it is used in the femoral part of the leg as well as the thighbone. However, it can also be used in other parts of the body such as the bones in the neck part, forearm, and arms. The orthopaedic surgeon (bone surgeon specialist) place several mechanisms which include a pin, screw or wire. This is surgically placed inside the bone. A weight must be in place to pull and force the bone in an ortho bed.

Purpose and Type of Tractions

There are several uses of traction for a patient. First of all, it can prevent patient's discomfort such as pain and muscle spasms while waiting for a surgery. It can also p rev ent deformities and complications by correcting muscle contracture. It also help promotes bone alignment.

There are two classes or type of traction. The first one is skin traction. In this mechanism, the site of placement is external only. There are also weights being placed and there is also a pulling force being applied in line with the patient's body, usually up to 3.5 kilos which .

The other type is a skeletal traction. The main difference is that there is a penetration and use of wires, screws and pins. There is also a greater force being applied. The bone can also stand a heavier force or weight which is up to 12 kilos.

Nursing Care for Patients with Skeletal Traction

Nurses placed in the medical-surgical or orthopaedic unit must be aware of the various nursing care plan for their ortho patients. The nurse must always assess the vital sign of the patient especially the old ones with bone fractures since they are more predisposed to fat embolism which is life threatening. Before placement of skeletal traction, the nurse must prepare the patient for the operative procedure. After or post procedure, pain relief or pain management is one of the priority. Thus, the staff must provide pain relievers as necessary per doctor's order or comment. They also make sure or check that the position of the traction is well aligned and the weights are freely hanging. Once the fracture is already aligned, it will be removed again. The nurse must provide or share health teachings in taking care of their newly-healed bone such protecting it from further trauma, checking the site for sign of infection and consuming food rich in calcium.

Conclusion

The care for a patient with skeletal traction involves a lot of patience from close to admission to discharge for home by car. However, a lot of nursing skills can be applied to these types of medical condition.

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