Chapter 66

A nurse is working on a neurological unit with a nursing student who asks the difference between primary and secondary headaches. The nurse's correct response will include which of the following statements?

"A secondary headache is associated with an organic cause, such as a brain tumor."

A client with newly diagnosed seizures asks about stigma associated with epilepsy. The nurse will respond with which of the following statements?

"Many people with developmental disabilities resulting from neurologic damage also have epilepsy."

A 30-year-old was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Which statement by the client would indicate a need for more teaching from the nurse?

"My children are at greater risk to develop this disease."

A client whose physical findings suggest a hyperpituitary condition undergoes an extensive diagnostic workup. Test results reveal a pituitary tumor, which necessitates a transsphenoidal hypophysectomy. The evening before the surgery, the nurse reviews preoperative and postoperative instructions given to the client earlier. Which postoperative instruction should the nurse emphasize?

"You must avoid coughing, sneezing, and blowing your nose."

A client weighing 132 lb is brought to the emergency department in status epilepticus. The physician asks the nurse to prepare diazepam 0.25 mg/kg. How many milligrams will be given to this client?

15 mg

A patient is admitted to the hospital with an ICP reading of 20 mm Hg and a mean arterial pressure of 90 mm Hg. What would the nurse calculate the CPP to be?

70 mm Hg

A client is receiving intravenous (IV) mannitol to prevent increased intracranial pressure. The order is for mannitol 1.5 grams per kg of body weight IV now. The client weighs 143 lbs (65 kg). How many grams will the nurse administer to the client? Enter the correct number in tenths.

97.5 grams

A client is transferred to the intensive care unit after evacuation of a subdural hematoma. Which nursing intervention reduces the client's risk of increased intracranial pressure (ICP)?

Administering a stool softener as ordered

The nurse enters the client's room and finds the client with an altered level of consciousness (LOC). Which is the nurse's priority concern?

Airway clearance

The school nurse notes a 6-year-old running across the playground with friends. The child stops in mid-stride, freezing for a few seconds. Then the child resumes his progress across the playground. The school nurse suspects what in this child?

An absence seizure

The nurse is taking care of a client with a history of headaches. The nurse takes measures to reduce headaches and administer medications. Which appropriate nursing interventions may be provided by the nurse to such a client?

Apply warm or cool cloths to the forehead or back of the neck

Which positions is used to help reduce intracranial pressure (ICP)?

Avoiding flexion of the neck with use of a cervical collar

An older client complains of a constant headache. A physical examination shows papilledema. What may the symptoms indicate in this client?

Brain tumor

While the nurse is making initial rounds after coming on shift, you find a client thrashing about in bed complaining of a severe headache. The client tells the nurse the pain is behind the right eye, which is red and tearing. What type of headache would the nurse suspect this client of having?

Cluster

A client is admitted to an acute care facility after an episode of status epilepticus. After the client is stabilized, which factor is most beneficial in determining the potential cause of the episode?

Compliance with the prescribed medication regimen

A nurse is working in the neurologic intensive care unit and admits from the emergency department a patient with an inoperable brain tumor. Upon entering the room, the nurse observes that the patient is positioned like the person in part B of the accompanying image. Which posturing is the patient exhibiting?

Decerebrate

A nurse is working in the neurologic intensive care unit and admits from the emergency department a patient with a severe head injury. Upon entering the room, the nurse observes that the patient is positioned like part A of the accompanying image. Which posturing is the patient exhibiting?

Decorticate

Which posture exhibited by abnormal flexion of the upper extremities and extension of the lower extremities?

Decorticate

A client with a brain tumor is complaining of a headache upon awakening. Which nursing action would the nurse take first?

Elevate the head of the bed.

Which of the following is an early sign of increasing intracranial pressure (ICP)?

Headache

The nurse is educating a patient with a seizure disorder. What nutritional approach for seizure management would be beneficial for this patient?

High in protein and low in carbohydrate

The nurse is caring for a patient postoperatively after intracranial surgery for the treatment of a subdural hematoma. The nurse observes an increase in the patient's blood pressure from the baseline and a decrease in the heart rate from 86 to 54. The patient has crackles in the bases of the lungs. What does the nurse suspect is occurring?

Increased ICP

Which is the priority nursing diagnosis when caring for a client with increased ICP who has an intraventricular catheter?

Ineffective cerebral tissue perfusion

A client with epilepsy is having a seizure. What intervention should the nurse do after the seizure?

Keep the client on one side.

A nurse is preparing to administer an antiseizure medication to a client. Which of the following is an appropriate antiseizure medication?

Lamictal

What does the nurse recognize as the earliest sign of serious impairment of brain circulation related to increasing ICP?

Lethargy and stupor

A nurse working on a medical-surgical floor walks into a patient's room to find the patient with an altered level of consciousness (LOC). Which of the following actions would be the first priority?

Maintenance of a patent airway

A client is exhibiting signs of increasing intracranial pressure (ICP). Which intravenous solution (IV) would the nurse anticipate hanging?

Mannitol

A nurse is continually monitoring a client with a traumatic brain injury for signs of increasing intracranial pressure. The cranial vault contains brain tissue, blood, and cerebrospinal fluid; an increase in any of the components causes a change in the volume of the others. This hypothesis is called which of the following?

Monro-Kellie

A nurse is assessing a patient's urinary output as an indicator of diabetes insipidus. The nurse knows that an hourly output of what volume over 2 hours may be a positive indicator?

More than 200 mL/h

A patient 3 days postoperative from a craniotomy informs the nurse, "I feel something trickling down the back of my throat and I taste something salty." What priority intervention does the nurse initiate?

Notify the physician of a possible cerebrospinal fluid leak.

When educating a patient about the use of antiseizure medication, what should the nurse inform the patient is a result of long-term use of the medication in women?

Osteoporosis

A patient is admitted to the hospital for management of an extrapyramidal disorder. Included in the physician's admitting orders are the medications levodopa, benztropine, and selegiline. The nurse knows that most likely, the client has a diagnosis of:

Parkinson's disease.

Which of the following drugs may be used after a seizure to maintain a seizure-free state?

Phenobarbital

A client with neurologic infection develops cerebral edema from syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH). Which is an important nursing action for this client?

Restricting fluid intake and hydration

Following a generalized seizure in a client, which nursing assessment is a priority for detailing the event?

Seizure was 1 minute in duration including tonic-clonic activity.

A client is receiving hypothermic treatment for uncontrolled fever related to increased intracranial pressure (ICP). Which assessment finding requires immediate intervention?

Shivering

A client with meningitis has a history of seizures. Which activity should the nurse do while the client is actively seizing?

Turn the client to the side during a seizure and do not restrain movements

Which method is used to help reduce intracranial pressure?

Using a cervical collar

A client is sitting in a chair and begins having a tonic-clonic seizure. The most appropriate nursing response is to:

carefully move the client to a flat surface and turn him on his side.

A nurse is caring for client diagnosed with Huntington disease. The client's plan of care includes interventions to address the client's potential for injury. Which would be included as a cause for this risk?

choreiform movements

When the nurse observes that the client has extension and external rotation of the arms and wrists and plantar flexion of the feet, the nurse records the client's posture as

decerebrate.

What is one of the earliest signs of increased ICP?

decreased level of consciousness (LOC)

The initial sign of increasing intracranial pressure (ICP) includes

decreased level of consciousness.

To meet the sensory needs of a client with viral meningitis, the nurse should:

minimize exposure to bright lights and noise.

A client with epilepsy is having a seizure. During the active seizure phase, the nurse should:

place the client on his side, remove dangerous objects, and protect his head.

The nurse is caring for a client immediately after supratentorial intracranial surgery. The nurse performs the appropriate action by placing the patient in the

supine position with the head slightly elevated.

The Monro-Kellie hypothesis explains

the dynamic equilibrium of cranial contents.

The nurse is completing an assessment on a client with myasthenia gravis. Which of the following historical recounting provides the most significant evidence regarding when the disorder began?

Drooping eyelids

A client undergoes a craniotomy with supratentorial surgery to remove a brain tumor. On the first postoperative day, the nurse notes the absence of a bone flap at the operative site. How should the nurse position the client's head?

Elevated 30 degrees

Which activity should be avoided in clients with increased intracranial pressure (ICP)?

Enemas

A nurse is assessing a client who has been in a motor vehicle collision. The client directly and accurately answers questions. The nurse notes a contusion to the client's forehead; the client reports a headache. Assessing the client's pupils, what reaction would confirm increasing intracranial pressure?

unequal response