A client is in the Emergency Department having an arm cast applied. The client tells the nurses they may not remove the wedding rings. What response by the nurse is best?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A fractured, casted extremity will swell. Leaving rings on a finger distal to an arm cast has the potential to cut off circulation to that finger. The nurse explains the rationale for taking them off. It is nice to acknowledge their importance to the client, but saying "they have to come off" does not provide useful information. The client will not understand the rationale when the nurse says they will be given to security. It would be inappropriate to leave them in place even if the nurse pads them because this does not address the potential for an alteration in circulation.

A Client Is in the Emergency Department Having an Arm