b/ps were again?!

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Work at ltc and have a diaylsis pt that has bilat aka (above the knee amputation) he also has 2 old av shunts in right upper and lower arm-arm is cold to touch, swollen-and barely has a pulse. He currently is doing diaylsis in a temp port in chest while his new av shunt is healing in the left forearm... Where the crap do u take a b/p?!

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Specializes in Emergency, CCU, SNF.

Upper thigh and make sure you note where (rt, lt), and take note of normal bps for him in this area, so you know when there's a deviation.

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Specializes in Home Health Care.

wow! I don't know......maybe use a machine cuff around the thigh?

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Specializes in Med_Surg, Renal, intermediate care.

I wonder how dialysis takes his b/p?

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ED.

Thigh.

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What if u can't palpate or hear a bloodpressure from the popliteal (sp) artery? (I cannot, the other nurses are getting b/p readings way to low for b/p medications in this area also..:/ (he was usually in 180/90 something before his new shunt )

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ED.

None of the nurses can palpate a popliteal pulse on either lower extremity? If so, this would be an assessment finding appropriate to report to the physician.

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Specializes in Emergency, CCU, SNF.

Try locating the pulse a little higher up the thigh, femoral, use a manual bp cuff. Have you ever used a doppler to listen to a heartbeat? Sometimes they can help you find the pulse.

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Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.
I wonder how dialysis takes his b/p?

Probably on his thigh. In my dialysis unit we have thigh cuffs

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