During assessment of an African-American patient, the nurse notes that the fingernails on the hand casted in plaster are an ashen-gray color. What information should the nurse collect next?
a. Whether the patient is experiencing numbness or tingling in the affected hand
b. How pink the fingernails were before the application of the cast
c. Whether the patient has an allergy to latex or medications
d. The color of the toenail beds for a com-parison
A
Numbness and tingling are symptoms that correlate with a decrease in circulation, which can be manifested as an ashen-gray color in this patient. The color of the fingernails before the applica-tion of the cast is important to know, but information about the current status is more important. Allergies are checked, but they would not be manifested only on the affected extremity. Toenail beds can alert the nurse if a systemic cardiopulmonary problem is occurring. The comparison would be between the two hands.
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