fresh post op amputee

[gizelda196]

Hi all,

can anyone tell me what a typical fresh post op bka care set of orders would be? do you routinly place limbs up on pillows and for how long?

we are discussing this at work right now. we dont get to many of theese in the unit Help

[suzanne4, RN]

If it is an AKA, never ever place the stump on a pillow. By elevating it, you will decrease the blood flow to the incision site, and your patient will need to have more work don in the OR. This is something that was done years ago, but has stopped.

[suzanne4, RN]

If it is an AKA, never ever place the stump on a pillow. By elevating it, you will decrease the blood flow to the incision site, and your patient will need to have more work done in the OR. This is something that was done years ago, but has stopped.

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

Our docs would typically have an AKA and sometimes a BKA patient lie prone several hours a day in order to keep the groin muscles and tendons from shortening. When supine not on a pillow of course. The patient will have a much easier time with prosthesis rehab that way.

In addition a snug fitting stump shrinker would be ordered after the initial bulky dressing was removed so that the stump would be formed into a "point" (I can't think of the word right now.) that would fit the prosthesis. A stump shrinker looks kind of like a ski cap made of spandex.

[meownsmile, BSN, RN]

Almost posted about the same thing last night. Diffculty with shortening of tendons at the hip (contractures), and difficulties with future prosthetics.