Help with Clinical homework: about trauma patients

Nursing Students Student Assist

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Hi, we have a homework for our clinicals, and our instructor gave us this scenario and asked us to answer several questions: If there is a trauma patient who has not voided for almost 6-8 hours what would you do? What kind of medical emergency is this? what is this medical emergency called? some nursing interventions? Please help, i would really appreciate it. thanks you so much..

It's my understanding that autonomic dysreflexia becomes a possibility only after spinal shock has worn off, and some reflexes start to return, and usually only for a pt. with a T6 injury or above. However, this is from memory and I wouldn't take my word for it. Good luck

Thats my understanding too. AD only occurs after the phase of spinal shock, in which reflexes return.

Do you have any more background info on this pt? Vitals? How much time s/p injury? Other s/s?

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I have no more information other than a spinal cord injury patient who has not voided for 6-8 hrs, which is a medical emergency, and my instructor is asking what kind of medical emergency is that? and what to do with the patient. AD is a complication of a spinal cord injury. I am confused right now.please help. Thanks.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Cardiothoracics, VADs.

That would definitely not be my firstline answer. Given a case history about a "trauma" patient, I'd immediately go for hypovolaemia related to traumatic injury and volume depletion. Treatment being fluid resus and IDC to assess. Spinal injury is a very specific injury which would go along with other signs and symptoms, all of which would be more apparent on initial assessment than lack of voiding.

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