A nurse is caring for an adolescent who has sickle-cell anemia. Which of the following manifestations indicates acute chest syndrome and should be immediately reported to the provider?

Rationale for Correct Choices:

• Pain medication: Pain control is a primary concern in fracture management, especially in pediatric clients. This child reports a pain score of 4/10, indicating discomfort. Administering pain medication will reduce suffering and help prevent complications such as anxiety or guarding, which may impair healing.
• Limb immobilization: Immobilization stabilizes the fracture site and prevents further injury to soft tissues or neurovascular structures. With a nondisplaced fracture of both radius and ulna, the nurse should expect a splint or cast order to limit movement and aid in bone alignment and healing.

Rationale for Incorrect Choices:

• Bed rest: Bed rest is not required for isolated upper limb fractures, particularly when the child is developmentally appropriate, alert, and ambulatory. Encouraging mobility is important to reduce the risk of complications like deconditioning or thromboembolism.
• Surgical consultation: A nondisplaced fracture typically does not require surgical intervention unless complications develop. Surgical consultation is more often necessary for open, displaced, or unstable fractures that require reduction or fixation.
• Antibiotics: There are no signs of systemic or localized infection. The child has a superficial knee abrasion but no open fracture or wound that would necessitate prophylactic antibiotics. Therefore, antibiotic use is not indicated in this situation.

Rationale:

A. A client who has dementia and is incontinent of urine: This client has multiple contributing factors, cognitive impairment limits repositioning and self-care, while urinary incontinence increases skin moisture and maceration, promoting skin breakdown and pressure injury formation.

B. A client who is 2 days postoperative following orthopedic surgery: Although this client may have limited mobility, they are typically on a monitored recovery path with interventions like repositioning, early ambulation, and pain management, reducing their overall risk.

C. A client who has a T-tube following an open cholecystectomy: This client is generally alert, mobile with assistance, and able to communicate needs, which lowers their risk of pressure injury compared to more dependent individuals.

D. A client who has had a recent myocardial infarction: This client may be monitored in bed rest initially, but cardiovascular stability and mobility often improve quickly with treatment, making their pressure injury risk moderate rather than the highest among the group.