Chapter 17 Neurological Emergencies

Your patient opens his eyes, moans, and pulls away from you when you pinch his trapezius muscle. You should assign a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of:

8

Which of the following MOST accurately describes a simple partial seizure?

A seizure that begins in one extremity

When assessing for arm drift of a patient with a suspected stroke, you should:

Ask the patient to close his or her eyes during the assessment.

The three major parts of the brain are the:

Cerebrum, cerebellum and brain stem.

Which of the following MOST accurately describes what the patient will experience during the postictal state that follows a seizure?

Confusion and Fatigue

A patient whose speech is slurred and difficult to understand is experiencing:

Dysarthria

During the primary assessment of a semiconscious 70-year-old female, you should:

Ensure a patent airway and support ventilation as needed

A patient who is possibly experiencing a stroke is NOT eligible for thrombolytic (fibrinolytic) therapy if he or she:

Has bleeding within the brain

A 30-year-old male experienced a generalized (tonic-clonic) seizure, which stopped before you arrived at the scene. The patient is conscious, is answering your questions appropriately, and refuses EMS transport. Which of the following would be the MOST compelling reason to disagree with his refusal of transport?

He is currently not prescribed any medications

The MOST significant risk factor for a hemorrhagic stroke is:

Hypertension

Which of the following conditions would be the LEAST likely to mimic the signs and symptoms of a stroke?

Hypovolemia

A patient with an altered mental status is:

Not thinking clearly or is incapable of being aroused.

You are caring for a 68-year-old man with sudden onset of left-sided paralysis and slurred speech. His airway is patent, his respirations are 14 breaths/min with adequate depth, and his oxygen saturation is 98%. Treatment for this patient should include:

Recovery Position and Transport

Which of the following conditions would MOST likely affect the entire brain?

Respiratory failure of cardiopulmonary arrest.

Which of the following symptoms would lead the EMT to believe that a patient's headache is caused by sinus congestion?

The pain is worse when bending over

The left cerebral hemisphere controls:

The right side of the body

You respond to a residence for a child who is having a seizure. Upon arrival at the scene, you enter the residence and find the mother holding her child, a 2-year-old male. The child is conscious and crying. According to the mother, the child had been running a high fever and then experienced a seizure that lasted approximately 3 minutes. You should:

Transport the child to the hospital and reassure the mother en route

When you are obtaining medical history from the family of a suspected stroke patient, it is MOST important to determine:

When the patient last appeared normal.

When caring for a patient with documented hypoglycemia, you should be MOST alert for:

a seizure

Interruption of cerebral blood flow may result from all of the following, EXCEPT:

cerebral vasodilation