Difficulty: Medium
Average Score: 93%
Simulated
A nurse is doing her assessment on a client who suffered a crush injury with multiple fractures to his lower leg. The nurse notices the client has increasing edema to the affected leg since the last assessment. Also, the client also reports the last pain medication did not help them at all with their pain and they feel the pain is worsening. The increasing edema and unrelieved increasing pain are indications of which of the following complications from a crush injury?
Correct answer
C
Rationale
Acute compartment syndrome causes increasing pain and edema due to pressure in muscle compartments, requiring urgent intervention. Fat embolism affects lungs/brain, malignant hyperthermia involves anesthesia, and myocardial embolus is cardiac.