Stroke - Practice Questions

Following a stroke, a patient has dysphagia and left-sided facial paralysis. Which feeding technique would be most helpful at this time? encourage sipping diluted liquid meal supplements from a straw feed the patient a soft diet from a spoon into the left side of the mouth position the pateint with the bed at a 30-degree angleCorrect! Offer solid foods from the unaffected side of the mouth

Offer solid foods from the unaffected side of the mouth

What is the expected outcome of thombolytic drug therapy for stroke? dissolved emboli prevention of hemorrhage vasoconstriction increased vascular permeability

dissolved emboli

A patient with left-sided weakness that started 60 minutes earlier is admitted to the emergency department and diagnostic tests are ordered. Which test should be done first? Complete blood count (CBC) Computed tomography (CT) scan 12-Lead electrocardiogram (ECG) Chest radiograph (chest x-ray)

Computed tomography (CT) scan

A patient with carotid atherosclerosis asks the nurse to describe a carotid endarterectomy. Which response by the nurse is accurate? "The obstructing plaque is surgically removed from inside an artery in the neck." "A catheter with a deflated balloon is positioned at the narrow area, and the balloon is inflated to flatten the plaque." "A wire is threaded through an artery in the leg to the clots in the carotid artery, and the clots are removed." "The diseased portion of the artery in the brain is replaced with a synthetic graft."

"The obstructing plaque is surgically removed from inside an artery in the neck."

A patient admitted with possible stroke has been aphasic for 3 hours, and his current blood pressure (BP) is 174/94 mm Hg. Which order by the health care provider should the nurse question? Start a labetalol drip to keep BP less than 140/90 mm Hg. Keep head of bed elevated at least 30 degrees. Infuse normal saline intravenously at 75 mL/hr. Administer tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) intravenously per protocol.

Start a labetalol drip to keep BP less than 140/90 mm Hg. Because elevated BP may be a protective response to maintain cerebral perfusion, antihypertensive therapy is recommended only if mean arterial pressure (MAP) is greater than130 mm Hg or systolic pressure is greater than 220 mm Hg. Fluid intake should be 1500 to 2000 mL/day to maintain cerebral blood flow. The head of the bed should be elevated to at least 30 degrees unless the patient has symptoms of poor tissue perfusion. tPA may be administered if the patient meets the other criteria for tPA use.

A patient in the emergency department with sudden-onset right-sided weakness is diagnosed with an intracerebral hemorrhage. Which information about the patient is most important to communicate to the health care provider? The patient takes a diuretic because of a history of hypertension. The patient has atrial fibrillation and takes warfarin (Coumadin). The patient's speech is difficult to understand. The patient's blood pressure (BP) is 144/90 mm Hg.

The patient has atrial fibrillation and takes warfarin (Coumadin).

Which stroke risk factor for a 48-yr-old male patient in the clinic is most important for the nurse to address? The patient works at a desk and relaxes by watching television. The patient is 25 lb above the ideal weight. The patient drinks a glass of red wine with dinner daily. The patient's usual blood pressure (BP) is 170/94 mm Hg.

The patient's usual blood pressure (BP) is 170/94 mm Hg. Hypertension is the single most important modifiable risk factor. People who drink more than 1 (for women) or 2 (for men) alcoholic beverages a day may increase their risk for hypertension. Physical inactivity and obesity contribute to stroke risk but not as much as hypertension.

A patient arrives in the emergency department with an ischemic stroke. Because the healthcare team is considering administering tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), the nurse should first ask what medications the patient is taking complete a history and health assessment identify the time of onset of the stroke determine ifthe patient is scheduled for any surgical procedures

identify the time of onset of the stroke

What would be a priority nursing assessment during the first 24 hours after admission of a patient with a thrombotic stroke? echocardiogram cholesterol level pupil size and pupillary response bowel sounds

pupil size and pupillary response

For a patient who had a right hemisphere stroke, the nurse anticipates planning interventions to manage risk for injury related to denial of deficits and impulsiveness. impaired physical mobility related to right-sided hemiplegia. impaired verbal communication related to speech-language deficits. ineffective coping related to depression and distress about disability.

risk for injury related to denial of deficits and impulsiveness.