Description
Assessment of the Musculoskeletal System and Pain (graded)
Fred is an 83-year-old male who is being admitted to the medical-surgical unit status post fall. He is alert and oriented and reports that while visiting a local casino with his wife Margaret earlier this evening, he tripped over a curb and fell landing on his right side. After receiving morphine in the emergency room prior to transfer to your unit, Fred is rating his pain at 6/10. He has multiple bruises from his jawbone to his knee as well as a slight rotation of his right leg.
Past medical history includes: myocardial infarction (MI) x 2, peripheral vascular disease (PVD) with bilateral iliac stents, non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), sleep apnea, and degenerative joint disease.
Medications include: aspirin, Plavix, Lopressor, Lisinopril, and Metformin.
After reviewing the above scenario please answer the following questions.
- Based on the information provided, how will you prioritize your care, what assessments will you include and in what order? Please provide rationale for your response.
- Considering this patient's age, injury, past medical history, and list of current medications, what, if any, concerns do you have related to his potential need for surgery?
- Should surgery to repair his right femur be required; what type of clearance and pre-op orders would you anticipate receiving related to his diet, meds, lab work, and so on?
Explanation & Answer
Attached.
Running head: ASSESSMENT OF THE MUSCOSKELETAL SYSTEM AND
PAIN
Assessment of the Musculoskeletal System and Pain
Name
Institutional Affiliation
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ASSESSMENT OF THE MUSCOSKELETAL SYSTEM AND PAIN
Assessment of the Musculoskeletal System and Pain
Fred is an elderly man suffering from a slight rotation of the right leg and will need
immediate treatment. However, it will also be necessary to take into account his past medical
history for more efficient treatment plans. Fred has a history of myocardial infection as well as
peripheral vascular disease and diabetes mellitus. The patient has a history of the degenerative
joint disease (Wong & Sun, 2010).Since the patient is diabetic, there is an increased rate of
complications that may occur. However, it will be necessary to have an aggressive approach to
ensure success in treatment. Peripheral vascular disease may lead to problems with wound
healing in the patient, and therefore immediate action should be taken to ensure that the
treatment is successful. There is no way to eliminate risk in the treatment of the patient, and
therefore surgery would be t...