Unit 5: Chapters 34,35,36

What can the nurse assume about a child's behavior when faced with the need to repeat a painful procedure?

Children act to avoid pain based on their memory of past painful events.

During embryonic development, which structure develops into the central nervous system (CNS)?

Neural Tube

When testing nociceptive stimuli to elicit a withdrawal reflex in the body, what stimuli are commonly used?

Pressure from a sharp object

Release of neurotransmitters occurs at which location in the neuron?

Presynaptic terminal

A client is asked to stand with feet together, eyes open, and hands by the sides. Then the client is asked to close the eyes while the nurse observes for a full minute. What assessment is the nurse performing?

Proprioception

There are two types of nervous tissue cells: neurons and supporting cells. What is the function of the supporting cells?

Protect the nervous system and provide metabolic support for the neurons

A client is experiencing chest pain that radiates to the left arm and neck. The nurse would interpret this pain as:

Referred

Potassium outflow from the cell is characteristic of which phase of the action potential?

Repolarization

A nurse is teaching a client with a history of migraines about methods to control attacks. Which instructions should the client implement when the migraine starts? Select all that apply.

Resting in a darkened quiet room Taking aspirin or an NSAID with caffeine Using intranasal medications if nauseated

Which skin receptors communicate the sensation of heavy and continuous touch and pressure?

Ruffini end-organs

Which types of cells are supporting cells of the peripheral nervous system?

Schwann cells

A client who is being treated for chronic low back pain is using a TENS unit for relief of pain. The nurse is aware that the use of this device is considered what type of pain relief?

Stimulus-induced analgesia

In describing the ideal analgesic, what factors would be included? Select all that apply.

-Inexpensive -Effective -Minimal adverse effects

An older adult tells the nurse, "My friend just developed shingles and has a lot of pain. Is there a way for me to protect myself from it?" Which of the following is an appropriate response from the nurse?

"Get a Zostavax vaccination."

The unique clinical presentation of a 3 month-old infant in the emergency department leads the care team to suspect botulism. Which assessment question posed to the parents is likely to be most useful in the differential diagnosis?

"Have you ever given your child any honey or honey-containing products?"

The client asks the health care provider, "What is the purpose of applying cold to a sprained ankle?" Which response by the health care provider is best?

"I should take my medication and apply the TENS unit to the painful area as soon as I feel the pain."

The nurse is working with a client who has been diagnosed with recurring migraine headaches. Which advice by the nurse is most appropriate?

"Many people find that maintaining regular eating and sleeping habits is beneficial."

A 30-year-old female has suffered a third-degree burn to her hand after spilling hot oil in a kitchen accident. Which teaching point by a member of her care team is most appropriate?

"Opioids aren't without side effects, but we will take action to manage these side effects so you can continue getting these drugs."

A client asks if pain threshold and pain tolerance are the same. The best response by the health care provider would be:

"Pain threshold is the point at which a stimulus is perceived as painful."

A beta-adrenergic blocker has been prescribed for a client diagnosed with migraines. The most important information for the nurse to teach the client would be:

"Take the medication daily as you have been directed."

A nurse is assessing the pain level of a client who has just had surgery. The client tells the nurse he does not think he should take any medication until the pain becomes extreme. The best response would be:

"The use of pain medication before the pain becomes extreme will help prevent hyperexcitability of the CNS."

A nurse assessing an older adult 3 hours postoperative notes guarding, grimacing, and stiff body movement when changing positions. The client denies feeling pain. Which response will help the nurse best manage this client's pain?

"You seem to be uncomfortable. Pain is common with surgery. I can bring you pain medication."

A client has just begun to experience an ischemic stroke. The blood supply from the middle cerebral artery is being blocked by a large blood clot. How long before brain cells begin to die due to lack of ATP?

4 to 6 minutes

The nurse witnesses a client go into cardiac arrest. If the nurse delays intervention, when will the death of brain cells begin?

4-6 minutes

Which statement accurately reflects the typical person afflicted with multiple sclerosis (MS)?

A 25-year-old woman

A 22-year-old female college student is shocked to receive a diagnosis of myasthenia gravis. What are the etiology and most likely treatment for her health problem?

A decline in functioning acetylcholine receptors; treatment with corticosteroids and intravenous immunoglobulins

Which principle best explains symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), including dysphagia, muscle weakness and spasticity, and dysphonia?

ALS is caused by both an upper motor neuron and lower motor neuron disturbance.

A nurse who is testing a client's response to passive movement of the fingers with the client's eyes closed notes that the client cannot accurately identify on which side the movement occurred or in what position the finger was placed. What is an appropriate interpretation of this result?

Abnormal discrimination pathway function

What are the main neurotransmitters of the autonomic nervous system (ANS)? Select all that apply.

Acetylcholine Epinephrine Norepinephrine

The nurse is caring for a client who has returned from surgery after having a colon resection. What is the best method for the nurse to use when administering an opioid for pain in order to optimize pain control?

Administer the opioid preemptively and before pain becomes extreme.

A client has just been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). The nurse recognizes that the client's condition is a result of:

An immune-mediated response that is caused by the demyelinization of the myelin sheath of the white matter of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerve

Which are functions of the frontal lobe? Select all that apply.

Anticipation of consequences of behavior Prediction of consequences of behavior

Staff at the care facility note that a woman has started complaining of back pain in recent weeks and occasionally groans in pain. She has many comorbidities that require several prescription medications. The nurse knows that which factor is likely to complicate the clinician's assessment and treatment of the client's pain?

Assessment and treatment are possibly complicated by the large number of drugs that the client receives.

A 47-year-old woman was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 3 years ago and has experienced a progressive onset and severity of complications. She has been admitted to a palliative care unit due to her poor prognosis. What assessments and interventions should the nursing staff of the unit prioritize in their care?

Assessment of swallowing ability and respiratory status.

Which neuroglial cells of the CNS provide protection and metabolic support to neurons? Select all that apply.

Astrocytes Ependymal cells Microglia cells Oligodendrocytes

The parasympathetic nervous system is part of which system?

Autonomic nervous system

Approximately 6 months after a spinal cord injury, a 29-year-old man has an episode of autonomic dysreflexia. What are the characteristics of autonomic dysreflexia? Select all that apply.

BP 200/112 Cool, pale skin Gooseflesh noted on extremities

When conducting a health assessment that focuses on the pain experienced by an older client diagnosed with early dementia, the nurse will pay particular attention to which of the following?

Behavioral signs of pain demonstrated by the client

The nurse on the pediatric unit is implementing distraction strategies for a child who is experiencing pain. Which strategies would be best for the nurse to implement? Select all that apply.

Bubbles Music Games Television

Loss of diaphragm control would most likely occur with a spinal injury at which level?

C1-2

A nurse educator is explaining basic neuroanatomy to a class of prospective nursing students. Which statement best conveys an aspect of the role of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)?

CSF cushions the brain and provides a near-water medium for diffusion of nutrients.

Which statement best conveys an aspect of the role of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)?

CSF cushions the brain and provides a near-water medium for diffusion of nutrients.

What will the nurse teach a client with trigeminal neuralgia about the condition?

Carbamazepine is a first-line treatment.

Peripheral nerve disorders are not uncommon. What is an example of a fairly common mononeuropathy?

Carpal tunnel syndrome

A middle-aged woman is brought to the emergency room after a minor auto accident. Her gait is staggering and unsteady, her speech is slurred, and she displays slight nystagmus. The police officer who brought her in says she has not been drinking. Her blood pressure is very high. Which health problem most likely underlies her present state?

Cerebellar damage caused by a cerebrovascular accident

A client is being taught how to use a TENS unit .The nurse determines that teaching was effective when the client states:

Cold provides pain relief and suppresses the release of products from tissue damage.

Select the function of the occipital lobe.

Color, motion, and depth perception

A client had an arm cast fitted after suffering a right humeral fracture in a hockey game. The client reported a loss of sensation in the right hand, but sensation returned upon removal of the cast. Which was the most likely cause of the client's loss of sensation?

Compression lesion of the musculocutaneous nerve

Which action/bodily function characterizes a function of the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS)?

Conservation of energy

The cerebellum, separated from the cerebral hemispheres by the tentorium cerebelli, lies in the posterior fossa of the cranium. What is one of the functions of the cerebellum?

Coordinates smooth and accurate movements of the body

The thick area of myelinated axons that connects the two sides of the cerebral cortex is known as which component?

Corpus callosum

Select the laboratory blood test that would be a used to suggest a diagnosis of muscular dystrophy (MD).

Creatine kinase

Which types of damage can cause visceral pain? Select all that apply.

Distention Strong contractions Ischemia

Which of the meninges provides the major protection for the brain and spinal cord?

Dura mater

Which type of synapse allows the quickest transmission from one neuron to another?

Electrical

A client who sustained a complete C6 spinal cord injury 6 months ago has been admitted to the hospital for pneumonia. The nurse observes the client with diaphoresis above the level of C6 and the blood pressure is 260/140 mm Hg. What is the first intervention the nurse should provide?

Elevate the head of the bed.

The underlying causative problem in Parkinsonism is:

Failure of dopamine release

A client experiencing acute pain finds relief for several hours after the light touch of a soft-bristled brush has been applied over the area. Which pain theory is best supported by this event?

Gate control

A client is having an upper endoscopy to determine the presence of a gastric ulcer. After the procedure is performed, the nurse instructs the client that he cannot have anything to eat or drink until the return of the gag reflex. Which nerve is the nurse testing for return of function?

Glossopharyngeal

The nurse measures a blood glucose level of 40 mg/dL (2.22 mmol/L) for a client with type 1 diabetes. Why would it be important for the nurse to institute an intervention to elevate the glucose level in this client?

Glucose is not stored in the brain and is a major fuel source for brain function.

A client has sustained damage to cranial nerve VIII. The nurse recognizes that the client may experience difficulty with:

Hearing

A nurse is assessing a client with symptoms of botulism. The nurse will question the client regarding ingestion of which food?

Home-grown and canned vegetables

Which interventions are effective treatments for phantom limb pain? Select all that apply.

Hypnosis Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) Nerve block

A client arrives in the clinic after having a tongue piercing performed and is unable to control the movement of the tongue. The nurse is aware that which nerve may have been damaged from the piercing?

Hypoglossal

Maintenance of blood gas concentrations, water balance, and food consumption are controlled by which part of the brain?

Hypothalamus

A nurse working in a busy orthopedic clinic is asked to perform the Tinel sign on a client having problems in her hand/wrist. In order to test Tinel sign, the nurse should give the client which direction?

I'm going to tap (percuss) over the median nerve in your wrist; tell me what sensation you feel while I am doing this. Does the sensation stay in the wrist or go anywhere else?

The nurse is assessing a client diagnosed with myasthenia gravis (MG). The nurse would expect the assessment to include:

Inability to move eyes in multiple positions

The nurse knows that chronic pain lacks which of the characteristic pain-related reactions?

Increased heart rate

The geriatrician providing care for a 74-year-old man with diagnosis of Parkinson disease has recently changed the client's medication regimen. What is the most likely focus of the pharmacologic treatment of the man's health problem?

Increasing the functional ability of the underactive dopaminergic system

A client with an acute spinal cord injury is developing spinal shock. The nurse should perform which priority assessment?

Loss of tendon reflexes below the injury

Reflexes are basically "hard-wired" into the CNS. Anatomically, the basis of a reflex is an afferent neuron that synapses directly with an effector neuron to cause muscle movement. Sometimes the afferent neuron synapses with what intermediary between the afferent and effector neurons?

Interneuron

Which neuron connects sensory and motor neurons?

Interneurons

A client reports a sudden intense headache. Which factor would indicate the presence of a possible subarachnoid hemorrhage?

Intractable pain

Feelings of dread, high anxiety, or exquisite pleasure can be elicited by stimulation of areas in which structure?

Limbic system

A client has been diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome and is being treated in the intensive care unit. The client is experiencing rapidly ascending paralysis. What is the nurse's priority intervention when caring for this client?

Maintenance of the client's airway

The nurse instructs the unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) to be sure to turn the client every 2 hours in order to avoid pressure on the skin and avoid a pressure ulcer. What type of stimuli is the nurse encouraging the UAP to avoid?

Mechanical stimuli

A woman with severe visual and auditory deficits is able to identify individuals by running her fingers lightly over her face. Which source is most likely to provide the input that allows for the woman's unique ability?

Meissner corpuscles

A nurse is assessing a client for manifestations of chronic pain. Which finding is characteristic of chronic pain? Select all that apply.

Mental depression Loss of appetite Withdrawal from activities

The nurse is caring for an elderly client with hemiplegia following a stroke. While planning the client's care, the nurse knows the client is at risk for developing which condition?

Muscle atrophy

Muscular dystrophy is characterized by what pathophysiologic changes?

Muscular necrosis, with replacement with fat and connective tissue

Which disease is thought to be caused by antibody-mediated loss of acetylcholine receptors in the neuromuscular junction?

Myasthenia gravis

Which is the primary component of white matter?

Myelinated fibers

Which statement explains how nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) control pain?

NSAIDs block the enzyme that synthesizes prostaglandins.

If the client's dorsal columns are not functioning, the nurse will observe which response during neuro testing, where the nurse asks the client to close his eyes and then proceeds to touch corresponding parts of the body on each side simultaneously with two sharp points?

No response to two-point discrimination

A client on an acute medicine unit with a diagnosis of small bowel obstruction is reporting intense, diffuse abdominal pain. Which physiologic phenomenon is most likely contributing to the client's pain?

Nociceptive afferents are conducting along the cranial and spinal nerve pathways of the ANS.

A client on an acute medicine unit of a hospital with a diagnosis of small bowel obstruction is reporting intense, diffuse pain in her abdomen. Which physiologic phenomenon is most likely contributing to her complaint?

Nociceptive afferents are conducting the sensation of pain along the cranial and spinal nerve pathways of the ANS.

What will conduct injurious stimuli to alert the body to potential damage?

Nociceptors

Which intervention is usually the first line of therapy when treating moderate pain in the older adult population?

Nonopioids, such as acetaminophen

A client diagnosed with Parkinson disease is displaying the following manifestations: tremor, rigidity, and slowness of movement. The nurse would interpret these as:

Normal manifestations of Parkinson disease

A client who has experienced a spinal cord injury still has use of the arms but has impaired motor and sensory function of the trunk, legs, and pelvic organs. Which term best describes how this injury is classified?

Paraplegia

After being thrown off the back of a bull, a bull rider can move his arms but has loss of motor function in the lumbar and sacral segments of the spinal cord. This is referred to as:

Paraplegia

A client reports feeling a tingling sensation in the last two fingers of one hand after hitting the inner surface of the elbow on a desk. What is the cause of this symptom?

Paresthesia from temporary nerve compression

What disease results from the degeneration of the dopamine nigrostriatal system of the basal ganglia?

Parkinson disease

Which disease can result in symptoms that can occur when a brain tumor causes damage to the nigrostriatal pathway?

Parkinson disease

A nurse assesses a client with a cerebral infarct for sensation. Which result indicates that second-order neurons are intact?

Patellar reflex +2

Spinal nerves that form complex nerve networks are called which of the following?

Plexuses

Guillain-Barré syndrome is characterized by which form of neuron damage?

Polyneuropathy

Multiple sclerosis is characterized by what type of neuron damage?

Polyneuropathy

Which factor influence pharmacologic choices for pain management in older adults? Select all that apply.

Poor nutrition may lead to poor drug distribution. Organ function may be less efficient. Polypharmacy may cause drug interactions.

Which treatment should take place immediately in a client experiencing autonomic dysreflexia?

Position the client in upright position, and correct the initiating stimulus.

The nurse is performing an assessment for a client suspected of having symptoms that correlate with carpal tunnel disorder. The client states he feels a tingling sensation that radiates into the palm of the hand when the nurse lightly percusses over the median nerve. How would the nurse document this finding?

Positive Tinel sign

Duchenne muscular dystrophy usually does not produce any signs or symptoms until age 2 to 3. What muscles are usually first to be affected in Duchenne muscular dystrophy?

Postural muscles of the hip and shoulder

When educating a client about to undergo a pacemaker insertion, the nurse explains the normal phases of cardiac muscle tissue. During the repolarization phase, the nurse will stress that membranes must be repolarized before they can be re-excited. Within the cell, the nurse understands that:

Potassium channels open and while sodium channels close causing repolarization to the resting state.

The parent of a toddler with Duchenne muscular dystrophy reports that the child has an increase in muscle size but a decrease in strength. The nurse documents this using which medical term?

Pseudohypertrophy

A nurse caring for a client with multiple sclerosis notes that the client has mood swings. Which cause can best explain this?

Psychological manifestation due to involvement of white matter of cerebral cortex

Nystagmus due to cerebellar dysfunction would most likely interfere with which activity?

Reading

A nurse is treating a client who has chronic daily headache (CDH). In addition to possible administration of medication, which instructions should be included in the teaching? Select all that apply.

Reduce or eliminate caffeine. Implement a guided imagery program. Consider acupuncture treatment.

A 7-year-old child had an emergency appendectomy during the night. When trying to assess the child's pain, the nurse should:

Show the child a scale with faces of actual children and have the child point to the picture that best describes how he or she is feeling.

Which complication of spinal cord injury is the most preventable in a paraplegic client?

Skin breakdown

A child is experiencing difficulty with chewing and swallowing. The nurse knows that which cells may be innervating specialized gut-related receptors that provide taste and smell?

Special visceral afferent cells

Through what specific component do neurotransmitters exert their action?

Specific proteins

The health care provider is assessing a client to differentiate a herniated disk from other causes of acute back pain. The most important test for the provider to perform would be:

Straight-leg test

A nurse caring for a client with a spinal cord injury knows that control of sweat gland activity and temperature regulation is managed by the direct action of which body system?

Sympathetic nervous system

Neurons communicate with each other through which structure?

Synapses

Which lobe of the brain performs functions of perception, long-term memory, and recognition of auditory stimuli?

Temporal lobe

The nurse learns that different types of headaches respond to different therapies. Which headache is most responsive to nonpharmacologic therapy?

Tension

The neurotransmitter GABA mainly functions to trigger inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs). Therefore, when explaining this to a group of nursing students, the nurse will state:

The combination of GABA with a receptor site is inhibitory since it causes the local nerve membrane to become hyperpolarized and less excitable.

A client asks the nurse if the brain is always receiving oxygen. The best response would be:

The brain receives 15% of the body's resting cardiac output and consumes 20% of its oxygen.

During a clinical assessment of a 68-year-old client who has suffered a head injury, a neurologist suspects that a client has a sustained damage to her vagus nerve (CN X). Which assessment finding is most likely to lead the physician to this conclusion?

The client has difficulty swallowing and has had recent constipation and hypoactive bowel sounds.

The nurse is performing a neurologic assessment on a client. Which assessment finding would the nurse determine is considered normal?

The client is able to swing arms when walking.

A client has recently been diagnosed with chronic back pain that requires the daily use of hydromorphone, an opioid analgesic. For the first few weeks, the client achieved relief with 4 mg every 6 hours. However, the client now requires 6 mg doses to achieve the same effect. How should the nurse best interpret this phenomenon?

The client is developing opioid tolerance, which is expected

The nurse asks the client to hold her left wrist in complete flexion for approximately 1 minute. The client states she feels tingling and numbness when she does this, pointing to the medial nerve. What does the nurse anticipate the client will be prepared for after this assessment?

The client will be prepared for further diagnostic tests such as an electromyogram (EMG).

A client has been recovering from a stroke for several weeks and has been reluctant to participate in physical therapy. As a result, the client has experienced disuse atrophy. The nurse should recognize that the client is experiencing the consequences of which physiologic process?

The diameter of the client's muscle cells has decreased

A client is being treated for the ingestion of a neurotoxin that interferes with the depolarization phase of action potentials. What physiologic process will be disrupted?

The inflow of sodium ions

Following a spinal cord injury suffered in a motor vehicle accident, a 22-year-old male has lost fine motor function of his finger and thumb, but is still able to perform gross motor movements of his hand and arm. Which component of his "white matter" has most likely been damaged?

The outer layer (neolayer)

A student is feeling inside her backpack to find her mobile phone. There are a number of other items in the backpack. Which component of somatosensory conduction is most likely to provide the detailed sensory information that will help her distinguish her phone from other items?

The primary dorsal root ganglion neuron, dorsal column neuron, and the thalamic neuron

A mother is placing her child into the bathtub. The child immediately jumps out of the tub and begins to cry, stating her feet are "burning." The nurse in the emergency department knows that the child's response is based on which pathophysiologic principle listed below?

The tactile sensation occurs well in advance of the burning sensation. The local withdrawal reflex reacts first.

The health care provider is assessing the functional integrity of all spinal nerves utilizing a pinpoint pressed against the skin. A normal response would be interpreted as:

The withdrawal reflex is activated.

Children feel pain just as much as adults do. What is the major principle in pain management in the pediatric population?

Treat on individual basis and match analgesic agent with cause and level of pain.

A client reports chronic pain. Assessment indicates it is located at the T6 dermatome. How will this information assist the nurse to develop an effective plan of care?

Treatment can be tailored to the specific location.

A client comes to the clinic and informs the nurse that he believes he is suffering from Parkinson disease. What objective data assessed by the nurse would correlate with the client's concern? Select all that apply.

Tremor Rigidity Bradykinesia

A client comes to the clinic for evaluation of a sharp, intermittent, severe, stabbing facial pain that she describes as "like an electric shock." The pain occurs on only one side of her face. It seems to be triggered when she chews, brushes her teeth, or sometimes when she merely touches her face. Often it is accompanied by involuntary grimacing. What diagnosis is most likely?

Trigeminal neuralgia

A 70 year-old male has been diagnosed with a stroke that resulted in an infarct to his cerebellum. Which clinical finding would be most closely associated with cerebellar insult?

Unsteady gait and difficulty speaking and swallowing

A 21-year-old male is brought to the ED following a night of partying in his fraternity. His friends found him "asleep" and couldn't get him to respond. They cannot recall how many alcoholic beverages he drank the night before. While educating a student nurse and the man's friends, the nurse begins by explaining that alcohol is:

Very lipid-soluble and rapidly crosses the blood-brain barrier.

A client is admitted to the acute care facility with severe pain in the abdomen related to inflammatory bowel disease. What type of pain will the nurse be administering medication to relieve?

Visceral pain

Which type of reflex is stimulated by a nociceptive stimulus?

Withdrawal reflex

A client has been recently diagnosed with Alzheimer disease and has been prescribed a cholinesterase inhibitor. This drug will slow the progression of the client's symptoms by:

decreasing ACh breakdown.

Which statement best describes the pathophysiology of Parkinson disease?

degeneration of the nigrostriatal dopamine system

A client with diabetes mellitus has just undergone a right, below-the-knee amputation following gangrene infection. A few days after the amputation, the client confides in the nurse that he still feels his right foot. Knowing the pathophysiologic principles behind this, the nurse can:

explain that many amputees have this sensation and that one theory surmises the end of a regenerating nerve becomes trapped in the scar tissue of the amputation site.

The nurse is aware that the primary function of the sympathetic nervous system is:

maintenance of vital functions and responding when there is a critical threat to the integrity of the individual.

Neurotransmitters exert their actions through specific proteins that are known as:

receptors

Death caused by muscular dystrophy in early adulthood is usually due to:

respiratory and cardiac muscle involvement.

A 45-year-old diabetic male is experiencing erectile dysfunction. If his erectile dysfunction is caused by the nervous system, then the nurse can educate the client that the venous blood supply to the penis is controlled by:

sacral parasympathetic fibers.

A client is experiencing a cluster headache. The client would most likely manifest

severe pain behind the eye.

A client is experiencing a cluster headache. The client would most likely manifest:

severe pain behind the eye.

The nurse has just completed an assessment on a client admitted with Guillain-Barré syndrome. The nurse determines that a priority of care will be:

ventilatory assessment and support.

A 60-year-old male office worker presents to a clinic complaining of new-onset of lower back pain that has been worsening over the last 6 weeks. The nurse knows that which component of his physical assessment and history is most indicative of a serious pathologic process (like aortic aneurysm or cancer)?

His onset of pain has been gradual and he has no prior history of lower back problems.

When a peripheral nerve is irritated enough, it becomes hypersensitive to the noxious stimuli, which results in increased painfulness or hyperalgesia. Health care professionals recognize both primary and secondary forms of hyperalgesia. What is primary hyperalgesia?

Pain sensitivity that occurs directly in damaged tissues

Which client is exhibiting headache symptoms that indicate a need for further evaluation?

Pregnant mother with drowsiness and unrelenting headache

The nurse is studying sensory systems. She understands that signal transduction of an impulse to the thalamus for processing is accomplished by:

Second-order neurons

A nurse is providing education to a client newly diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome. Which statement reflects accurate information about the course of the disease?

The disorder may present with rapid life-threatening symptoms or may present as a slow insidious process.

Following a knee injury, a football player is taking ibuprofen, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, for the control of pain. Which drug action is most likely to result in diminished sensation of pain for the player?

The drug inhibits the enzyme needed for prostaglandin synthesis.

A client comes to the emergency department stating she is having severe pain on the left side of her face. The client states that the pain started after being outdoors in the cold. The nurse observes lacrimation of the right eye. Which nerve does the nurse recognize is affected?

Trigeminal

A 58-year-old woman comes to the clinic for evaluation of a sharp, intermittent, severe, stabbing facial pain that she describes as, "like an electric shock." The pain occurs only on one side of her face; it seems to be triggered when she chews, brushes her teeth, or sometimes when she merely touches her face. There is no numbness associated with the pain. What is most likely causing her pain?

Trigeminal neuralgia

A client has experienced the α1-receptor stimulation. The nurse would assess the client for:

Vasoconstriction

Which scenario would be an example of a child born with congenital insensitivity to pain? A child who:

fell off a skate board and fractured ankle but did not feel any pain, just noted swelling in foot.