PrepU NUR 118 Chapter 65: Management of Patients with Oncologic or Degenerative Neurologic Disorders

The nurse is providing discharge teaching for a client who was admitted to hospital after having complex partial seizures secondary to a glioma. The client has been prescribed levetiracetam to manage the seizures. What should the nurse include in the discharge teaching for this medication?

"Driving a car should be avoided until the you know how this medication effects you."

The community health nurse is conducting a home visit with a client who was discharged from hospital 3 days ago after surgical resection of a brain tumor and radiation therapy. The client is accompanied by his partner during the nurse's visit. During the visit, the client's partner becomes tearful. How should the nurse respond?

"Going through this experience with your partner has been very difficult for you, I'm sure. Can you tell me about your experience so far?"

The daughter of a patient with Huntington's disease asks the nurse what the risk is of her inheriting the disease. What is the best response by the nurse?

"If one parent has the disorder, there is a 50% chance that you will inherit the disease."

A client with post-polio syndrome displays fatigue and decreased muscle strength. How should the nurse best respond to the client?

"Intravenous immunoglobulin infusion may help you."

A client who has just been diagnosed with mixed muscular dystrophy asks the nurse about the usual course of this disease. How should the nurse respond?

"You may experience progressive deterioration in all voluntary muscles."

A client with cerebral metastasis suddenly experiences a seizure for which phenytoin 10 mg/kg intravenously is ordered as an initial loading dose. The client weighs 132 pounds. How many milligrams of phenytoin should the client receive? Enter the number ONLY.

600

A client with cerebral metastasis suddenly experiences a seizure for which phenytoin 10 mg/kg intravenously is ordered as an initial loading dose. The client weighs 165 pounds. How many milligrams of phenytoin should the client receive? Enter the number ONLY.

750

The nurse is caring for a client who was diagnosed with a glioma 5 months ago. Today, the client was brought to the emergency department by his caregiver because he collapsed at home. The nurse suspects late signs of rising intracranial pressure (ICP) when which blood pressure and pulse readings are noted?

BP = 175/45 mm Hg; HR = 42 bpm

Which of the following diagnostic studies provides visualization of cerebral blood vessels?

Cerebral angiography

A nurse suspects that a client has Huntington disease based on which assessment finding?

Chorea

The nurse is caring for a client hospitalized after a motor vehicle accident. The client has a comorbidity of Parkinson's disease. Why should the nurse closely monitor the condition and the drug regimen of a client with Parkinson's disease?

Drugs administered may cause a wide variety of adverse effects.

A client with Parkinson's disease has been receiving levodopa as treatment for the past 7 years. The client comes to the facility for an evaluation and the nurse observes facial grimacing, head bobbing, and smacking movements. The nurse interprets these findings as which of the following?

Dyskinesia

The nurse is performing an assessment for a patient in the clinic with Parkinson's disease. The nurse determines that the patient's voice has changed since the last visit and is now more difficult to understand. How should the nurse document this finding?

Dysphonia

A client is admitted reporting low back pain. How will the nurse best determine if the pain is related to a herniated lumbar disc?

Have the client lie on the back and lift the leg, keeping it straight.

A client newly diagnosed with Huntington diease asks for information concerning management of symptoms. Which action would the nurse first take to address this request?

Perform a focused assessment on the client's needs and capabilities.

The nurse cares for a client with Huntington disease. What intervention is a priority for safe care?

Protecting the client from falls

A client with a cerebellar brain tumor is admitted to an acute care facility. The nurse formulates a nursing diagnosis of Risk for injury. Which "related-to" phrase should the nurse add to complete the nursing diagnosis statement?

Related to impaired balance

The nursing is assessing a client who has been diagnosed with a pituitary adenoma, but has not yet started treatment. The client reports having increased heart rate, hand tremors, difficulty sleeping, weight loss and hyperthermia. The nurse anticipates the client will require blood work to assess for overproduction of which hormone?

Thyroid-stimulating hormone

A client is suspected of having amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). To help confirm this disorder, the nurse prepares the client for various diagnostic tests. The nurse expects the physician to order:

electromyography (EMG).

The nurse teaches the client that corticosteroids will be used to treat his brain tumor to

reduce cerebral edema.

A client asks the nurse to explain the development of Parkinson disease (PD). Which response will the nurse provide the client?

"It is caused by low levels of dopamine that are not available to counteract the effects of acetylcholine."

The nursing instructor gives their students an assignment of making a plan of care for a client with Huntington's disease. What would be important for the students to include in the teaching portion of the care plan?

How to facilitate tasks such as using both hands to hold a drinking glass

What is the only known risk factor for brain tumors?

Ionizing radiation

A client with a brain tumor experiences projectile vomiting. The nurse integrates understanding of this occurrence as resulting from which of the following?

Irritation of the medullary vagal centers

A male client who has undergone a cervical discectomy is being discharged with a cervical collar. Which of the following would be most appropriate to include the client's discharge plan?

Keeping the head in a neutral position

The nurse is providing postoperative care for a client who just underwent surgery to remove a metastatic intramedullary tumor. On postoperative day 3, the client states, "I am really looking forward to going running again, it had become too difficult because of the loss of feeling in my feet." Which should the nurse address in the client's care plan?

Knowledge deficit

A client was undergoing conservative treatment for a herniated nucleus pulposus, at L5 - S1, which was diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging. Because of increasing neurologic symptoms, the client undergoes lumbar laminectomy. The nurse should take which step during the immediate postoperative period?

Logroll the client from side to side.

Bone density testing will be completed for the client with post-polio syndrome. The nurse teaches the client bone density testing is used to identify what potential complication?

Low bone mass and osteoporosis

The nurse explains to the client with projectile vomiting and severe headache that a medication is being prescribed to reduced edema surrounding the brain and lessen these symptoms. What medication is the nurse preparing to administer?

Mannitol

Which term is used to describe edema of the optic nerve?

Papilledema

Which of the following is a late symptom of spinal cord compression?

Paralysis

The nurse teaches the client with which disorder that the disease is due to decreased levels of dopamine in the basal ganglia of the brain? Multiple sclerosis Parkinson disease Huntington disease Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Parkinson disease

A client is scheduled for a laminectomy to repair a herniated intervertebral disk. When developing the postoperative care plan, the nurse should include which action?

Turning the client from side to side, using the logroll technique