A U G U S T 2 0 1 6 O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T 6 3
When procedures call for you to suspend limbs, articulate joints
and hyperextend necks, injuries are just waiting to happen.
Kris Lindeen, BSN, RN | Traverse City, Mich.
Ms. Lindeen (klindeen@surgerytc.com) is
a staff nurse at the Northwest Michigan
Surgery Center in Traverse City, Mich.
Orthopedic Positioning
Pointers in Photos
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SUSPENDED ARM For an elbow or shoulder
arthroscopy, patients have to lie with their arm
extended over their head for extended periods
of time for prepping and surgery. Rather than
having a staff member hold the patient's arm,
securely suspend it by hanging it from a gauze
roll tied off on a weighted IV pole.
F
rom pinched skin and pinched nerves to pulled muscles and
pressure ulcers, we can easily hurt our orthopedic patients just
by the way we position them for surgery. Good positioning in
orthopedics should maximize the surgeon's ability to see and
access the surgical site and minimize pain and injury to
patients that we twist like a pretzel on the OR table. With a
huge assist from Pamela Bevelhymer, RN, BSN, my colleague here at the
Northwest Michigan Surgery Center and the staff photographer for Outpatient
Surgery Magazine, we proudly present 8 pictures that portray proper patient
positioning.
OSM
