Chapter 61 prepu

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

Brain tumor The incidence of brain tumor increases with age. Headache and papilledema are less common symptoms of a brain tumor in the older adult. Symptoms of epilepsy include fits and spasms, while symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia would be pain in the jaws or facial muscles. Hypostatic pneumonia develops due to immobility or prolonged bed rest in older clients.

A nurse assesses the patient's LOC using the Glasgow Coma Scale. What score indicates severe impairment of neurologic function?

3 LOC, a sensitive indicator of neurologic function, is assessed based on the criteria in the Glasgow Coma Scale: eye opening, verbal response, and motor response (Barlow, 2012). The patient's responses are rated on a scale from 3 to 15. A score of 3 indicates severe impairment of neurologic function, brain death, or pharmacologic inhibition of the neurologic response. A score of 15 indicates that the patient is fully responsive (see Chapter 68).

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

A patient has been diagnosed with myasthenia gravis. The nurse documents the initial and most common manifestation of:

diplopia

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

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

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 fluids and hydration

Which is the earliest sign of increasing intracranial pressure?

change in LOC

A nurse is caring for a client with a diagnosis of trigeminal neuralgia. Which activity is altered as a result of this diagnosis?

chewing

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

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 An inappropriate or nonpurposeful response is random and aimless. Posturing may be decorticate or decerebrate. Decorticate posture is the flexion and internal rotation of forearms and hands. Decerebrate posture is extension and external rotation. Flaccidity is the absence of motor response; tonic clonic movements are seen with seizures.

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 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

Which medication classification is used preoperatively to decrease the risk of postoperative seizures?

Anticonvulsants

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 term refers to the shifting of brain tissue from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure?

Herniation

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

LR With increasing ICP, isotonic normal saline, lactated Ringer's, or hypertonic (3%) saline solutions are used to decrease swelling in the brain cells. D5W, 0.45% NSS, and 0.33% NSS are all hypotonic solutions that will move more fluid into the cells, worsening the ICP.

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 about to be discharged after undergoing surgery for the treatment of a brain tumor and has a referral in place for medical and radiation oncology. Which component(s) should be included in the discharge teaching for this client? Select all that apply.

Medication regimen Appointments for chemotherapy or radiotherapy Adverse effects of chemotherapy or radiation and techniques for managing them Nutritional support Electromyography is used in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to validate weakness in the affected muscles and should not be included for the client being discharged after surgery for a brain tumor.

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 client falls to the floor in a generalized seizure with tonic-clonic movements. Which is the first action taken by the nurse?

Turn client to side-lying position.

A client diagnosed with Huntington disease is on a disease-modifying drug regimen and has a urinary catheter in place. Which potential complication is the highest priority for the nurse while monitoring the client?

UTI

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

absence seizure

A nurse is caring for a client with a brain tumor and increased intracranial pressure (ICP). Which intervention should the nurse include in the care plan to reduce ICP?

admin stool softeners

During assessment of a patient who has been taking dilantin for seizure management for 3 years, the nurse notices one of the side effects that should be reported. What is that side effect?

gingival hyperplasia

The nurse is caring for a client with an inoperable brain tumor. What teaching is important for the nurse to do with these clients?

hospice

The nurse is educating a group of people newly diagnosed with migraine headaches. What information should the nurse include in the educational session? Select all that apply.

keep a food diary and headache diary

A client was running along an ocean pier, tripped on an elevated area of the decking, and struck his head on the pier railing. According to his friends, "He was unconscious briefly and then became alert and behaved as though nothing had happened." Shortly afterward, he began complaining of a headache and asked to be taken to the emergency department. If the client's intracranial pressure (ICP) is increasing, the nurse should expect to observe which sign first?

declining LOC

In planning care for a patient with an extrapyramidal disorder, the nurse recognizes that a major difference between Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease is the development of ________ in clients with advanced Huntington's disease.

hallucinations and delusions As Huntington's disease progresses, hallucinations, delusions, and impaired judgment develop due to degeneration of the cerebral cortex. Depression is a likely symptom for clients with both Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease. Bradykinesia, slowness in performing spontaneous movement, is commonly associated with Parkinson's disease. Muscle fasciculations, or twitching, are commonly associated with ALS.

A client is being treated for increased intracranial pressure (ICP). The nurse should ensure that the client does not develop hypothermia because:

shivering in hypothermia can increase ICP.

A nurse is providing education about migraine headaches to a community group. The cause of migraines has not been clearly demonstrated, but is related to vascular disturbances. A member of the group asks about familial tendencies. The nurse's correct reply will be which of the following?

"There is a strong familial tendency."

An osmotic diuretic such as mannitol is given to the client with increased intracranial pressure (ICP) to

dehydrate the brain, reduce cerebral edema

A nurse is monitoring a client for increasing intracranial pressure (ICP). Early signs of increased ICP include:

diminished responsiveness Usually, diminished responsiveness is the first sign of increasing ICP. Pupillary changes occur later. Increased ICP causes systolic blood pressure to rise. Temperature changes vary and may not occur even with a severe decrease in responsiveness

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 physician for a possible CSF leak

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

Avoiding flexion of the neck with use of a cervical collar Use of a cervical collar promotes venous drainage and prevents jugular vein distortion, which can increase ICP. Slight elevation of the head is maintained to aid in venous drainage unless otherwise prescribed. Extreme rotation of the neck is avoided because compression or distortion of the jugular veins increases ICP. Extreme hip flexion is avoided because this position causes an increase in intra-abdominal pressure and intrathoracic pressure, which can produce a rise in ICP.

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 The most common cause of status epilepticus is sudden withdraw of anticonvulsant therapy. The type of medication prescribed, the client's stress level, and weight change don't contribute to this condition.

A client experiences loss of consciousness, tongue biting, and incontinence, along with tonic and clonic phases of seizure activity. The nurse should document this episode as which type of seizure?

generalized A generalized seizure causes generalized electrical abnormality in the brain. The client typically falls to the ground, losing consciousness. The body stiffens (tonic phase) and then alternates between episodes of muscle spasm and relaxation (clonic phase). Tongue biting, incontinence, labored breathing, apnea, and cyanosis may also occur. A Jacksonian seizure begins as a localized motor seizure. The client experiences a stiffening or jerking in one extremity, accompanied by a tingling sensation in the same area. Absence seizures occur most commonly in children. They usually begin with a brief change in the level of consciousness, signaled by blinking or rolling of the eyes, a blank stare, and slight mouth movements. Symptoms of a sensory seizure include hallucinations, flashing lights, tingling sensations, vertigo, déjà vu, and smelling a foul odor.

A nurse caring for a patient with head trauma will be monitoring the patient for Cushing's triad. What will the nurse recognize as the symptoms associated with Cushing's triad? Select all that apply.

hypertension, bradypnea, bradycardia At a certain point as intracranial pressure increases due to an injury, the brain's ability to autoregulate becomes ineffective and decompensation (ischemia and infarction) begins. When this occurs, the patient exhibits significant changes in mental status and vital signs. The bradycardia, hypertension, and bradypnea associated with this deterioration are known as Cushing's triad, which is a grave sign.

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/hr For patients undergoing dehydrating procedures, vital signs, including blood pressure, must be monitored to assess fluid volume status. An indwelling urinary catheter is inserted to permit assessment of renal function and fluid status. During the acute phase, urine output is monitored hourly. An output greater than 200 mL per hour for 2 consecutive hours may indicate the onset of diabetes insipidus (Hickey, 2009).

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