traction, please help!

Specialties Orthopaedic

Published

I have zero experience with this. Was wondering if a pt is in buck's traction only (say, to stabilize a broken limb--say a leg) when turning pt q 2 hours, do you turn with traction maintained? Or remove, turn, and replace? Also, do you remove the boot to do skin care and just manually hold down leg? I find conflicting info in my old textbooks.

Thanks!

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Specializes in ER; HBOT- lots others.

best thing would be to check your hospital policy.

-H-RN

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Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

Leave the boot on and turn as a unit. 5# of Bucks extension merely provides some comfort to the fx femur. It really doesn't help align the bone. Put pillows wedges whatever to keep the elimb as anatomically correct as possible.

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Specializes in O.R., ED, M/S.

Just be sure the sandbag isn't touching the floor! I get so many patients from the floor for surgery only to find out the sandbag is resting on the floor thus negating the whole purpose. Hopefully the patient isn't waiting around for surgery because bucks traction is usually temp until off to surgery. We get to them pretty quick, one day most of the time.

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help...i really need a recent article on traction (preferably bucks but I cant find one on databases.

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