Bucks Traction

[reecie54]

Do you reposition a patient with the weight still on the traction or remove and reapply the traction after boosting the patient? Any literature on the subject?

Much appreciated!

[helpnhands]

Keep it on.

[Straydandelion]

Typically the bucks was removed for five minutes every two hours (on most patients unless ordered otherwise per ortho) where I worked, but I found it difficult to replace keeping it aligned with the foot if the patient was partially on their side so liked to remove and put on while they were flat on their back, then turned with the weights still on so the leg can be aligned well with the body.

Most of the time there is standing orders related to this on the floor you would work on.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Most of the time I leave it on if possible. One time I had to remove a patient's traction with a femur fracture and he had a horrible muscle spasm that caused some serious pain (and blood curdling screams).

I would be interested in other people's policies though.

[Straydandelion]

Tweety said:

Most of the time I leave it on if possible. One time I had to remove a patient's traction with a femur fracture and he had a horrible muscle spasm that caused some serious pain (and blood curdling screams).

I would be interested in other people's policies though.

Just a little offtopic, but if the weight is removed holding it up slowly to try a gradual removal or decrease in weight or if the bucks is undone slowly started at the top and wait a little before undoing another teflon latch, the slow decrease in weight caused less muscle spasms.

[mpccrn, BSN, RN]

i keep it on........bucks is usually a low weight traction, not an issue when boosting someone up in bed

[Riseupandnurse]

I take it off, as we have to undo it all to do heel care every shift anyway.

[vadee]

hey it says here in this book that you take it off first, place a pillow in between the legs, turn the client, and then put the traction back on. Hope this helps! =)

[jax]

We remove it 6/24 to inspect skin integrity. But always leave it on when moving patients.

[TTAO]

On 10/24/2008 at 5:41 AM, reecie54 said:

Do you reposition a patient with the weight still on the traction or remove and reapply the traction after boosting the patient? Any literature on the subject?

Much appreciated!