Question

A young club lacrosse player sustains a severe blow to the right flank area during a game. He is unable to continue playing, so you conduct an evaluation and treat this athlete. Before releasing this athlete to his parents' care for the evening, what instructions should you provide?

a.) Instruct the parents to encourage the athlete to drink copious amounts of water and other fluids over the next 8 hours
b.) Instruct the parents to wake the athlete every hour during the night and encourage him to urinate as much as possible
c.) Instruct the parents to check for hematuria during the athletes next two to three voiding episodes.
d.) Instruct the parents to check for occult blood in the stool for each bowel movement over the next 3 days
e.) Instruct the parents to take the athlete immediately to the emergency department at the nearby hospital

Answer 1

The correct instruction is to have the parents take the athlete immediately to the emergency department at a nearby hospital. This ensures proper medical evaluation and treatment for potential internal injuries, such as to the kidneys, following a severe blow to the flank area.

Step-by-step explanation:

Given that a severe blow to the right flank area can potentially cause internal injuries, including damage to the kidneys and potential internal bleeding, it is crucial to monitor the young athlete for any signs of hematuria, which is the presence of blood in urine and can be a sign of significant injury. However, in a situation where there could be a risk of losing a significant amount of blood, immediate evaluation at an emergency department is advised to rule out or confirm internal injuries and ensure the safety of the athlete. Therefore, the correct action would be to instruct the parents to take the athlete immediately to the emergency department at a nearby hospital to get prompt medical attention.

Encouraging the athlete to consume copious amounts of water could lead to water intoxication or hyponatremia, which is dangerous and counterproductive. Waking the athlete every hour to urinate can be unnecessary and could disrupt the rest needed for recovery without providing any medical benefit. Checking for occult blood in the stool is important if there are symptoms that suggest gastrointestinal injury, but it is not directly related to a blow to the flank area. Prompt medical evaluation is the safest approach to ensure the health and well-being of the athlete.