Can I refuse to have surgery done on my daughter? She broke her elbow a few days ago and her doctor wants to operate, saying that there is something wrong with the arterial blood flow. I can easily find a pulse, so I don’t want her to have unnecessary surgery. Am I right?

Without knowing your daughter’s history, it would be impossible to tell you if you are right or wrong about the surgery. However, perhaps some explanation may help you decide. When a child breaks his or her elbow, it is possible that the damage isn’t restricted to just the bone. The brachial artery, the blood vessel that supplies fresh blood from the heart to the tissues in the lower arm and hand, could also be damaged. It could be pinched or nicked a bit. This damage would prevent the blood flow from going on full force, as your body is used to. By leaving the artery untreated, there could be significant complications.

While it would make sense that the hand would be cool and no longer pink if there is no pulse, this isn’t always the case with an elbow fracture. In fact, it’s not uncommon to have a warm hand but no pulse. If this is left untreated, again, there could be severe complications. In other words, if the hand is cool and has poor color, and there is no pulse, there is likely arterial damage. However, for there to be arterial damage, the hand doesn’t have to be cool or bluish.