What it means
In safety, entrapment is a client's head, neck, chest or limb getting caught in gaps between side rails, the mattress and the bed frame; it can cause injury or death by suffocation, especially in frail, confused or restless older adults. In anatomy, nerve entrapment is a nerve squeezed in a tight space, as in carpal tunnel syndrome.
For the nurse
Use a mattress that fits the bed frame, check for gaps, and use side rails only as the facility policy and the client's needs allow. Check restless and confused clients often.
Related terms
Tinel sign
Tingling or pins and needles felt where a nerve goes when the skin over that nerve is tapped.
Phalen test
A test in which the client holds the backs of both hands pressed together, wrists fully bent, for about 60 seconds to see whether tingling develops.