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

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.

• During the procedure, contrast is injected. Afterward, 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 and straight for at least 4–6 hours to prevent complications and bleeding at the site. The usual site is the femoral artery. The nurse should assess the site along with the pedal pulse. A weak pulse finding would indicate a complication.

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