Labs for fractured hip

[tazman2005]

I have a patient with a confirmed X-Ray of an intertrochanteric femoral fracture. The critical information that is need diagnstically and laboratory I would suspect that CBC's would be drawn for infections and WBC and RBC count but I'm not sure what else other than a possible MRI and CKMB considering that she takes BP med. Could anyone guide me on what else is needed or help me with this.

Thanks

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

you want to go to my favorite site for this kind of doctor stuff, family practice notebook. it gives you nice lists of this diagnostics, lab and treatment for the doctors. if you need something more in depth, like a little of the pathophysiology and you can push your way through the reading, go to the emedicine articles (http://www.emedicine.com/), in this case, the orthopedics specialty and see if they have an article on fractured hips.

here's what you need:

• http://www.fpnotebook.com/ort218.htm - hip fracture
  
• http://www.fpnotebook.com/ort221.htm - intertrochanteric fracture
  
• http://www.fpnotebook.com/ortch12.htm - topics in the chapter on hips

they are listing the complication of a hip fracture as being blood loss, not infection. now, if the patient has an open fracture or goes to surgery, then infection would be a potential complication. my copy of nurse's 5-minute clinical consult: diseases from lippincott williams & wilkins is only listing x-rays as the diagnostics for this, no lab. however, the complications it lists are (page 360)

• pneumonia
  
• venous thrombosis
  
• pressure ulcers
  
• social isolation
  
• depression
  
• bladder dysfunction
  
• deep vein thrombosis
  
• pulmonary embolus
  
• hip dislocation (i've seen a couple patients that got this with their total hip replacements)
  
• death