The goal of this continuing education program is to provide nurses with information about positioning anesthetized and sedated surgical patients to avoid nerve damage in the lower extremities. After studying the information presented here, you will be able to —
- Identify nerves of the lower body susceptible to injury in the sedated or anesthetized patient.
- Discuss the collaborative efforts of the operating room (OR) team, including nurses, to prevent lower extremity nerve injuries.
- List preexisting patient conditions and intraoperative risk factors that increase the likelihood of lower extremity nerve injury during surgery.
