Having Surgery:
What Position Will You Be In?
This quantitative study attempts to identify the factors that cause nerve damage to certain surgical patients. This study will depict the cause of lower extremity neuropathies with surgical patients when combining the patient characteristics, with the duration of the lithotomy positioning.
Study Purpose
The purpose for this nonexperimental study was to determine the likelihood, frequency, and symptoms of surgical patients, placed in the lithotomy position, which developed neuropathy of their lower extremities after the surgical procedure. Determining the natural history and causative factors may help in decreasing the incidences of lower extremity neuropathies.
Research Question(s)
The research question for this study: “Does the lithotomy position cause lower extremity neuropathies to patients undergoing a surgical procedure?” Many risk factors have been identified for perioperative lower extremity neuropathy but the mechanism for this neuropathy remains unclear.
Hypothesis/Hypotheses
The hypothesis for this study is improper positioning, lithotomy, may be the cause for the development of lower extremity neuropathy. Even though the cause of lower extremity neuropathy to surgical patients placed in the lithotomy position remains unknown, there is minimal evidence to prove that this hypothesis is the exact cause of neuropathy.
Study Variables
The study variables are complex in that there are three divisions: independent, sub-independent and dependent. The independent variable in this study was the lithotomy positioning of the patient during surgery. The sub-independent variables were the surgical type and duration, anesthetic type and duration, lithotomy type and duration, type of leg holder and wraps, and whether hard surfaces were padded properly. The dependent variable in this study was the development of neuropathy to the lower extremities of surgical patients....