Exam 18: Altered Mental Status, Stroke, and Headache

A stroke patient cannot move his left arm or leg. Based on this presentation, the EMT should strongly suspect that the stroke has occurred in what part of the central nervous system?

Which one of the following describes the typical signs and symptoms of a transient ischemic attack (TIA)?

A male patient is confused and combative for no apparent reason. There are no life threats to his airway, breathing, or circulation and his vital signs are: pulse 88, respirations 16 and adequate, blood pressure 144/68 mmHg, and SpO₂ 93% on room air. When addressing the oxygenation status, which of the following would be appropriate?

Which one of the following questions would the EMT ask when performing the Los Angeles Prehospital Stroke Screen?

You have just arrived by the side of a 46-year-old male dialysis patient with end-stage renal failure. He is positioned in his living room recliner, unresponsive with snoring respirations. Which of the following should you do first?

Your patient is a middle-aged male who collapsed while shopping and now responds to verbal stimuli with confused speech. The primary assessment indicates no immediate life-threatening conditions. His pulse is 96, respirations 16, blood pressure 158/88, SpO₂ at 98%, blood glucose level 69 mg/dL. He is carrying a vial of nitroglycerin in his jacket pocket. Which of the following would you do next?

You have gathered and written down all of the medications, including narcotic pain medications, that a confused 46-year-old male currently takes. The patient is placed on the stretcher for transport. At this time, how would you handle the medications?

When performing a secondary assessment on an elderly male who is confused and combative, what assessment finding should be of most concern to the EMT?

A 49-year-old male is unable to speak. You would document this as:

What condition would the EMT recognize as a neurological deficit?

When a patient smiles, the left side of the face shows significantly less movement than the right side of the face. The EMT would describe this as:

When assessing a patient with a possible stroke, what is the priority of care?

Assessment of a 56-year-old male reveals him to be responsive to verbal stimuli with garbled speech. What statement made by the patient's wife suggests that the patient's problem may be toxic-metabolic?

The EMT shows that he recognizes the benefit of using the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale and/or Los Angeles Prehospital Stroke Screen when he makes which one of the following statements?

You are getting the past medical history of a patient who suffered the sudden onset of right-side weakness. Which one of the following statements made by the patient should you recognize as increasing the patient's risk of stroke?

Which of the following statements shows an understanding of assessment findings related to stroke?

When using a stroke scale to assess a patient for abnormal speech, the EMT should:

You have been called for a 63-year-old woman with slurred speech and right-arm weakness. On arrival, the patient informs you that the slurred speech and weakness have resolved. Since your assessment reveals no deficits, the patient insists on signing a refusal. Which one of the following statements should you make prior to having her sign?

Patients with an altered mental status due to a stroke may not be able to control their own airways because of:

Which one of the following questions is it critical that the EMT ask the family of a patient who cannot speak and is suspected of having a stroke?