A 69-year-old patient is set to have a cerebral angiogram through the femoral artery. Which of the following would the nurse include in the teaching?

Bed rest must be maintained after the procedure for at least 4-6 hours
Contrast medium is injected during the procedure
The leg must be immobilized and kept straight after the procedure
The patient must be NPO 6-8 hours prior to the procedure

Explanation

• Cerebral angiography is a procedure in which cerebral blood vessels can be visualized to determine patency, stenosis, thrombosis, vasospasm, aneurysm, or displacement of cerebral vessels

• Most patients receive sedation during this procedure, therefore it is imporant to be NPO prior

• During the procedure, contrast is injected. Afterwards, radiographic films are taken at various time intervals to visualize the intracranial and extracranial blood vessels. After the procedure, the patient should have fluids forced to help clear the contrast (there is risk of acute kidney failure due to the contrast dye)

• After the procedure, the patient is kept on bed rest with the affected extremity kept immobilized for at least 4-6 hours to prevent complications and bleeding at the site. The usual site is the femoral artery. The nurse would assess the site along with the pedal pulse. A weak pulse finding would indicate a complication

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