Deck 22: Neurologic Disorders

Question 1

What action should the nurse implement when a patient falls to the floor in a generalized seizure?

A) Cradle the head to prevent injury.
B) Insert an object between the teeth to prevent the patient from biting the tongue.
C) Manually restrain the limbs.
D) Keep the patient on his or her back to prevent aspiration.

Answer 1

Cradle the head to prevent injury.

Question 2

A nurse caring for an immobilized patient with a brain tumor stimulates the patient several times a day with range-of-motion exercises and changes his position every 2 hours to try to prevent a disuse syndrome.What signs and symptoms does disuse syndrome include? (Select all that apply.)

A) Pooling of pulmonary secretions
B) Paralysis
C) Muscle tremor
D) Pressure ulcers
E) Altered visual perceptions

Answer 2

Pooling of pulmonary secretions
Pressure ulcers

Question 3

The ______ of the seizure is characterized by stiffening of the muscles or extremities with loss of consciousness.

Answer 3

tonic phase

Question 4

A patient with Parkinson disease is depressed because his drug protocol of L-dopa and Sinemet is no longer controlling his symptoms.What is the best response by the nurse?

A) Other drugs can be combined with L-dopa to increase its effectiveness.
B) The effect of these drugs has an uneven course; symptoms will begin to subside again soon.
C) The two drugs can be given in higher doses to control the symptoms.
D) Surgical interventions have been very effective in the control of parkinsonian symptoms.

Question 5

Which intervention supports nutritional intake in a patient with Parkinson disease?

A) Offer large meals with a variety of finger foods.
B) Thicken liquids to make them easier to swallow.
C) Puree all foods and drink through a straw.
D) Offer a diet high in carbohydrates and fat and low in protein.

Question 6

A patient with generalized convulsive disorder is unaware about the side effects of phenytoin (Dilantin).Which instruction would be most appropriate?

A) Take medication with food.
B) Brush teeth vigorously to encourage gingival growth.
C) Limit fluids and eats foods that reduce diarrhea.
D) Reduce stimuli and take warm baths to induce drowsiness.

Question 7

What should the nurse implement before giving an enteral feeding to a patient?

A) Palpate the abdomen to check for residual feeding.
B) Warm the feeding.
C) Elevate the head of the bed 30 degrees.
D) Ask the patient to tip his head forward.

Question 8

A patient in the emergency department states that she fell and hit her head and blacked out for a while but became alert again.The nurse suspects an epidural hematoma.For what should the nurse be diligent to assess?

A) Headache
B) Drowsiness
C) Increasing respiration rate
D) Vomiting

Question 9

A family member asks the nurse what would be an appropriate gift for a patient with Parkinson disease.What is the most useful suggestion?

A) Soft-soled house shoes
B) Jigsaw puzzle
C) Set of card games
D) Satin sheets

Question 10

Why is a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)uniquely prone to depression?

A) Nutritional intake is poor.
B) Intellectual capacity is not affected.
C) Mobility is limited.
D) Communication is altered.

Question 11

A patient with Parkinson disease is considering taking St.John's wort, an herbal remedy for depression, in addition to Sinemet and L-dopa.What is the most appropriate nursing response?

A) Depression is reduced by the use of herbal remedies such as St.John's wort.
B) Doses of St.John's wort and parkinsonian drugs should be taken on alternate days.
C) St.John's wort must be taken in large doses to reduce depression.
D) Herbal remedies can interfere with the effectiveness of the parkinsonian drugs.

Question 12

Which nursing assessment would indicate a need for suctioning a patient with Guillain-Barré who is experiencing impaired breathing patterns because of neuromuscular failure?

A) Decreased pulse rate and respiration of 20 breaths/min
B) Increased pulse rate and adventitious breath sounds
C) Increased pulse rate and respiration of 16 breaths/min
D) Decreased pulse and abdominal breathing

Question 13

A(n)______ hematoma forms in the space between the inner surface of the skull and the outermost meningeal covering of the brain.

Question 14

A nurse is caring for a patient with meningitis who has a positive Brudzinski sign.Which assessment led to this conclusion?

A) Flexed hips when the neck is flexed by the nurse
B) Inability to extend the flexed leg fully because of hamstring pain
C) Resisting efforts of the nurse to flex his or her neck
D) Flexing the big toe upward and fan out the other toes

Question 15

A nurse is evaluating the effectiveness of teaching for a patient with multiple sclerosis (MS).Which statement by the patient indicates that accurate patient learning has taken place?

A) "Now that I am taking steroids, I will be able to work like I used to."
B) "I'm making a list of things that are important and things I will simply have to let go."
C) "I will make a plan to allow for long rest periods at least four times a day."
D) "I am working on balancing time among rest, work, and family time."

Question 16

The nurse is caring for a patient with symptoms of a migraine headache.What assessment information supports this diagnosis? (Select all that apply.)

A) Bilateral pain in temples
B) Nausea
C) Photosensitivity
D) Elevated WBC count
E) Tearing

Question 17

A nurse is careful about limb position in caring for an unconscious patient who sustained a head injury 10 days ago.What is the nurse trying to prevent?

A) Flexion deformities
B) Atrophy
C) Paralysis
D) Pathologic fracture