Question

A patient with chronic kidney disease has an arteriovenous (AV) graft in the right forearm. What is the nurse's priority in determining the patency of the graft?

A. Determine the range of motion of the right arm and shoulder
B. Observe for clubbing of the fingers on the right hand of the AV graft site
C. Compare radial pulses by checking the right and left pulses simultaneously
D. Check for a bruit by listening over the right arm AV graft site with a stethoscope

Answer 1

The nurse's priority in determining the patency of the AV graft in a patient with chronic kidney disease is to check for a bruit using a stethoscope.

Step-by-step explanation:

The nurse's priority in determining the patency of the AV graft in a patient with chronic kidney disease is to check for a bruit by listening over the right arm AV graft site with a stethoscope. A bruit is an abnormal sound caused by turbulent blood flow, and its presence suggests that the graft is functioning properly. Checking the range of motion of the right arm and shoulder (option A), observing for clubbing of the fingers (option B), and comparing radial pulses (option C) are important assessments, but they do not directly assess the patency of the graft.