A patient scheduled to undergo a left femoral-popliteal bypass graft has poor perfusion to the left lower extremity. Due to the poor perfusion, which of the following interventions should the nurse complete before the procedure?

Mark the location of the posterior tibial and dorsal pedal pulses.

Explanation

• Due to poor perfusion, the nurse should assess and document evidence of weak peripheral pulses before the surgery to correct this.

• The nurse should mark the location of the dorsal pedal and posterior tibial pulses to establish a baseline for comparison after the procedure. 

• It is common for these patients to have faint pulses, so a doppler may be used, and pulses will be marked and documented on each side as absent, +1, +2,  or +3. After surgery, this baseline will provide information to assess for changes.

• Incorrect: Coagulation studies, vital signs, and a preoperative checklist are routine preoperative interventions for most procedures, but this question asked about interventions specific to poor perfusion to the extremity.

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