Moving a patient with traction

[peaceloveheal]

We had a test today and one of the questions was "A patient with traction is being transported to surgery. Which of the following is the best intervention?" Some people said remove the weights, some said place them on the bed and others said let them hang freely as usual. We've been through all our notes and our book and can't find the answer to this question! If anyone knows the correct method pleeeeease let me know! Thanks!

[orangepink, NP]

I wouldn't touch a traction without a MD's order or permission. To transport the pt, I'd take the entire bed with me. They can move him to the OR bed in pre-op once the patient gets there.

[nurse.sandi]

I remember this question. I agree with the above post. I would not touch the weights. Seems I had to actually deal with a situation back some time. I just stood there..pondering and the transporters were like well?? I was like I think we need more critical thinkers with us. Off I went to find another nurse to confer with.

[AKA_Glamour_Pearl]

I was taught that you never remove traction, so I would say that you let it hang freely. If you move the traction, even for a short period the joint could become dislocated.

[peaceloveheal]

Thank y'all so much! :)

[Rebewarr]

I was taught that touching/removing the weights would cause the patient so much more pain, so wouldnt touch it

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

This sort of thing is common in NCLEX and other testing opportunities, like you will see when you are a new hire. The basic principle is important: you don't ever want to do something that would result in harm to the patient. With that in mind, think about why the traction is there in the first place: to hold a broken bone in anatomical position, prevent sharp bone ends from damaging adjacent soft tissues if they move around, and relieve pain by stabilization. If you remove the traction, what are the effects? Does that make sense?

The next principle to consider is the nursing role is in patient care. Nursing diagnoses (and actions) for this patient would include (among others) looking at tissue integrity, maintenance of normal function or healing to reach it, and pain. Nurses do not apply traction as a treatment for fracture (unless specially trained and in emergency situations, which this is not), so they wouldn't be removing it or adjusting it. This is properly a medical action, setting a broken bone for the medical diagnosis, fracture.

So the answer is no, you never remove traction unless it's a specific part of the medical plan of care. The patient goes to the OR in his bed, with traction intact, and the traction is removed there under controlled conditions (possibly by OR nurses) before surgery.

If you think of basic principles first, then specific cases, you'll be much more successful at both paper/computer testing, and when the real tests come: in actual patient care.

[PCC RN 2b]

I agree with everybody's posts. Not that you would be asked this on a test but on my floor, if a patient with traction was being transported by bed, the transport would require two people - one to push the bed and the other to stabilize the weight by lightly holding the rope. Can you imagine the weight swinging and bumping into the bed or walls jarring the patient's injured bone? OUCH! That extra person steadies the rope, not adding or removing tension, simply preventing any swinging.

[SAM__RN]

Hello everybody,

How it will be right to turn the patient with buck's traction to the unaffected side every 2 hrs without moving the weights and keep leg allignment?