Exam 57: Nursing Management: Acute Intracranial Problems

A patient with possible viral meningitis is admitted to the nursing unit after lumbar puncture was performed in the emergency department.Which action prescribed by the health care provider should the nurse question?

An unconscious patient with a traumatic head injury has a blood pressure of 130/76 mm Hg,and an intracranial pressure (ICP)of 20 mm Hg.The nurse will calculate the cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP)as ____ mm Hg.

A patient has been admitted with meningococcal meningitis.Which observation by the nurse requires action?

Admission vital signs for a brain-injured patient are blood pressure 128/68,pulse 110,and respirations 26.Which set of vital signs,if taken 1 hour after admission,will be of most concern to the nurse?

The nurse is caring for a patient who was admitted the previous day with a basilar skull fracture after a motor vehicle crash.Which assessment finding is most important to report to the health care provider?

A patient has increased intracranial pressure and a ventriculostomy after a head injury.Which action can the nurse delegate to unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP)who regularly work in the intensive care unit?

The charge nurse observes an inexperienced staff nurse caring for a patient who has had a craniotomy for resection of a brain tumor.Which action by the inexperienced nurse requires the charge nurse to intervene?

A male patient who has possible cerebral edema has a serum sodium level of 116 mEq/L (116 mmol/L)and a decreasing level of consciousness (LOC).He is now complaining of a headache.Which prescribed interventions should the nurse implement first?

Which patient is most appropriate for the intensive care unit (ICU)charge nurse to assign to a registered nurse (RN)who has floated from the medical unit?

The nurse admitting a patient who has a right frontal lobe tumor would expect the patient may have

An unconscious 39-year-old male patient is admitted to the emergency department (ED)with a head injury.The patient's spouse and teenage children stay at the patient's side and ask many questions about the treatment being given.What action is best for the nurse to take?

A college athlete is seen in the clinic 6 weeks after a concussion.Which assessment information will the nurse collect to determine whether a patient is developing postconcussion syndrome?

Family members of a patient who has a traumatic brain injury ask the nurse about the purpose of the ventriculostomy system being used for intracranial pressure monitoring.Which response by the nurse is best?

When admitting a 42-year-old patient with a possible brain injury after a car accident to the emergency department (ED),the nurse obtains the following information.Which finding is most important to report to the health care provider?

The nurse is caring for a patient who has a head injury and fractured right arm after being assaulted.Which assessment information requires the most rapid action by the nurse?

Which information about a 30-year-old patient who is hospitalized after a traumatic brain injury requires the most rapid action by the nurse?

After evacuation of an epidural hematoma,a patient's intracranial pressure (ICP)is being monitored with an intraventricular catheter.Which information obtained by the nurse is most important to communicate to the health care provider?

After having a craniectomy and left anterior fossae incision,a 64-year-old patient has a nursing diagnosis of impaired physical mobility related to decreased level of consciousness and weakness.An appropriate nursing intervention is to

Which is the correct point on the accompanying figure where the nurse will assess for ecchymosis when admitting a patient with a basilar skull fracture?

Which statement by a 40-year-old patient who is being discharged from the emergency department (ED)after a concussion indicates a need for intervention by the nurse?