CH 65

A client has sustained a head injury to the parietal lobe and cannot identify a familiar object by touch. The nurse knows that this deficit is

Astereognosis (Astereognosis is the inability to identify an object by touch. Visual agnosia is the loss of ability to recognize objects through visualizing them. The Romberg test has to do with balance. Ataxia is defined as incoordination of voluntary muscle action.)

Define Ataxia

incoordination of voluntary muscle action

Flaccid posturing

usually the result of lower brain stem dysfunction; the client has no motor function, is limp, and lacks motor tone

The nurse is caring for a patient who was involved in a motor vehicle accident and sustained a head injury. When assessing deep tendon reflexes (DTR), the nurse observes diminished or hypoactive reflexes. How will the nurse document this finding?

1+ (Diminished or hypoactive DTRs are indicated by a score of 1+, no response by a score of 0, a normal response by a score of 2+, and an increased response by a score of 3+.)

The nurse is assisting the physician in completing a lumbar puncture. Which would the nurse note as a concern?

Cerebrospinal fluid is cloudy in nature.

Which occurs when reflexes are hyperactive when the foot is abruptly dorsiflexed?

Clonus (Clonus occurs when the foot is abruptly dorsiflexed. It continues to "beat" two or three times before it settles into a position of rest. Sustained clonus always indicates the present of central nervous system disease and requires further evaluation.)

There are 12 pairs of cranial nerves. Only three are sensory. Select the cranial nerve that is affected with decreased visual fields.

Cranial nerve II

A client has undergone a lumbar puncture as part of a neurological assessment. The client is put under the care of a nurse after the procedure. Which important postprocedure nursing intervention should be performed to ensure the client's maximum comfort?

Encourage the client to drink liberal amounts of fluids (The nurse should encourage the client to take liberal fluids and should inspect the injection site for swelling or hematoma. These measures help restore the volume of cerebrospinal fluid extracted. The client is administered antihistamines before a test only if he or she is allergic to contrast dye and contrast dye will be used. The room of the client who has undergone a lumbar puncture should be kept dark and quiet. The client should be encouraged to rest, because sensory stimulation tends to magnify discomfort.)

The trochlear nerve controls which function?

Eye muscle movement

Which term describes the fibrous connective tissues that cover the brain and spinal cord?

Meninges (The meninges have three layers: the dura mater, arachnoid mater, and pia mater. The dura mater is the outermost layer of the protective covering of the brain and spinal cord. The arachnoid is the middle membrane, and the pia mater is the innermost membrane of this protective covering.)

Which of the following is a manifestation of an upper motor neuron lesion?

Muscle spasticity

When learning about the nervous system, students learn that which nervous system regulates the expenditure of energy?

Sympathetic

A nurse observes that decerebrate posturing is a comatose client's response to painful stimuli. Decerebrate posturing as a response to pain indicates:

dysfunction in the brain stem. (Decerebrate posturing indicates damage of the upper brain stem. Decorticate posturing indicates cerebral dysfunction. Increased intracranial pressure is a cause of decortication and decerebration.)

Define Rigidity

an increase in muscle tone at rest characterized by increased resistance to passive movement

The nurse is performing a neurologic assessment on a client diagnosed with a stroke and cannot elicit a gag reflex. This deficit is related to which of the following cranial nerves?

CN X (CN X is the vagus nerve and has to do with the gag reflex, laryngeal hoarseness, swallowing ability, and the symmetrical rise of the uvula and soft palate.)

To assess a client's cranial nerve function, a nurse should assess:

gag reflex (The gag reflex is governed by the glossopharyngeal nerve, cranial nerve IX. The other choices would not be involved in a cranial nerve assessment. Hand grip and arm drifting are part of motor function assessment. Orientation is an assessment parameter related to a mental status examination.)

The nurse is caring for a comatose client. The nurse knows she should assess the client's motor response. Which method may the nurse use to assess the motor response?

observing the client's response to painful stimulus