A nurse is working in a neurologist's office. The physician orders a Romberg test. What should the nurse instruct the client to do?
- A. Touch nose with one finger.
- B. Close eyes and stand erect.
- C. Close eyes and discriminate between dull and sharp.
- D. Close eyes and jump on one foot.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: In the Romberg test, the client stands erect with the feet close together and eyes closed. If the client sways as if to fall, it is considered a positive Romberg test. All of the other options include components of neurologic tests, indicating neurologic deficits and balance.
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The nurse is caring for a client who is undergoing single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). What is a potential side effect that this client may suffer?
- A. Headache and pain in the neck
- B. Claustrophobia
- C. Allergic reaction to the imaging material
- D. Allergic reaction to radioactive rays
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: SPECT obtains images of the brain after the client intravenously receives radiopharmaceuticals and radioisotopes approximately 1 hour before the test begins. A potential risk of SPECT is the client's allergic reaction to the imaging material. Headache is an aftereffect of a cisternal puncture, and claustrophobia is experienced by clients during a magnetic resonance imaging scan.
The nurse is instructing a community class when a student asks, 'How does someone get super strength in an emergency?' The nurse should respond by describing the action of the:
- A. musculoskeletal system.
- B. sympathetic nervous system.
- C. parasympathetic nervous system.
- D. endocrine system.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The division of the autonomic nervous system called the sympathetic nervous system regulates the expenditure of energy. The neurotransmitters of the sympathetic nervous system are called catecholamines. During an emergency situation or an intensely stressful event, the body adjusts to deliver blood flow and oxygen to the brain, muscles, and lungs that need to react in the situation. The musculoskeletal system benefits from the sympathetic nervous system as the fight-or-flight effects pump blood to the muscles. The parasympathetic nervous system works to conserve body energy not expend it during an emergency. The endocrine system regulates metabolic processes.
The nurse collects neurologic data and determines that the client has significant visual deficits. A brain tumor is considered. Which area of the brain does the nurse consider to be most likely to contain the neurologic deficit?
- A. Frontal
- B. Parietal
- C. Occipital
- D. Temporal
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The visual receiving area is in the occipital lobe; therefore, this is the area of the brain the nurse determines is affected for the client with significant visual deficits. The frontal lobe contains the written and motor speech areas. The parietal lobe is the primary sensory area of the brain. The temporal lobe is the auditory receiving and association area of the brain, and is responsible for speech comprehension (i.e., Wernicke area).
A client presents to the emergency department status postseizure. The health care provider wants to measure CSF pressure. What test might be ordered on this client?
- A. Lumbar puncture
- B. Echoencephalography
- C. Nerve conduction studies
- D. EMG
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Changes in CSF occur in many neurologic disorders. A lumbar puncture (spinal tap) is performed to obtain samples of CSF from the subarachnoid space for laboratory examination and to measure CSF pressure. Echoencephalography records the electrical impulses generated by the brain. Nerve conduction studies measure the speed with which the nerve impulse travels along the peripheral nerve. Electromyography studies the changes in the electrical potential of muscles and the nerves supplying the muscles.
The nurse is assessing the assigned client's level of consciousness during morning rounds. The nurse speaks the client's name, strokes the client's hand, and moves the client's shoulder. There is a delay, and then the client states, 'What do you want?' Which level of consciousness should the nurse document?
- A. Conscious
- B. Semicomatose
- C. Somnolent
- D. Stuporous
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Somnolent or lethargy means that the client is drowsy or sleepy at inappropriate times. This is an improvement from the stuporous state, which includes arousing the client only with vigorous and repeated stimulation. A client that is conscious is alert and responds to stimulation immediately. A client is documented as semicomatose when the client only responds to superficial, relatively mild, painful stimuli.
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