You are splinting a patient's lower extremity which appât to have a closed trivia/fibula fracture. The patient has no felling in the foot but has some movement and a weak pulse. You apply a rigid splint to the entire lower extremity and secure it with gauze. Once inside the ambulance, you assess and note that the patient now has no pulse in the injured extremity and the foot is tuning pale. You should:

A. Manually apply traction to the extremity, attempting to tighten out the bones and relieve pressure.
B. Assess the patient's femoral pulse. If it is present, the loss of dorsalis pulse is not of concern.
C. Check your splint as it may have become too tight with swelling of the injured extremity and may be cutting off circulation.
D. Rotate the patient's eg medially to relieve pressure on the femoral arteries.

Answer: C. Check your splint as it may have become too tight with swelling of the injured extremity and may be cutting off circulation.