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A patient with a new diagnosis of ischemic stroke is deemed to be a candidate for treatment with tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and has been admitted to the ICU. In addition to closely monitoring the patients cardiac and neurologic status, the nurse monitors the patient for signs of what complication?
- A. Acute pain
- B. Septicemia
- C. Bleeding
- D. Seizures
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Bleeding is the primary complication of t-PA due to its thrombolytic action. Pain, septicemia, and seizures are less likely.
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A patient has had an ischemic stroke and has been admitted to the medical unit. What action should the nurse perform to best prevent joint deformities?
- A. Place the patient in the prone position for 30 minutes/day.
- B. Assist the patient in acutely flexing the thigh to promote movement.
- C. Place a pillow in the axilla when there is limited external rotation.
- D. Place patients hand in pronation.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: A pillow in the axilla prevents shoulder adduction, reducing deformity risk. Prone positioning aids hip extension, not daily for 30 minutes. Acute thigh flexion may cause edema, and hand pronation is less functional than supination.
A nurse in the ICU is providing care for a patient who has been admitted with a hemorrhagic stroke. The nurse is performing frequent neurologic assessments and observes that the patient is becoming progressively more drowsy over the course of the day. What is the nurses best response to this assessment finding?
- A. Report this finding to the physician as an indication of decreased metabolism.
- B. Provide more stimulation to the patient and monitor the patient closely.
- C. Recognize this as the expected clinical course of a hemorrhagic stroke.
- D. Report this to the physician as a possible sign of clinical deterioration.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Increasing drowsiness indicates possible deterioration in hemorrhagic stroke, requiring immediate physician notification. It is not expected or due to metabolism, and stimulation is contraindicated.
A patient has recently begun mobilizing during the recovery from an ischemic stroke. To protect the patients safety during mobilization, the nurse should perform what action?
- A. Support the patients full body weight with a waist belt during ambulation.
- B. Have a colleague follow the patient closely with a wheelchair.
- C. Avoid mobilizing the patient in the early morning or late evening.
- D. Ensure that the patients family members do not participate in mobilization.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: A wheelchair nearby ensures safety if the patient becomes fatigued or dizzy. Family participation is encouraged, and timing is not restricted.
A rehabilitation nurse caring for a patient who has had a stroke is approached by the patients family and asked why the patient has to do so much for herself when she is obviously struggling. What would be the nurses best answer?
- A. We are trying to help her be as useful as possible.
- B. The focus on care in a rehabilitation facility is to help the patient to resume as much self-care as possible.
- C. We aren't here to care for her the way the hospital staff did; we are here to help her get better so she can go home.
- D. Rehabilitation means helping patients do exactly what they did before their stroke.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Rehabilitation emphasizes restoring self-care to maximize independence. Other responses oversimplify or misrepresent rehabilitation goals.
A patient diagnosed with a cerebral aneurysm reports a severe headache to the nurse. What action is a priority for the nurse?
- A. Sit with the patient for a few minutes.
- B. Administer an analgesic.
- C. Inform the nurse-manager.
- D. Call the physician immediately.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: A severe headache may indicate aneurysm leakage, requiring immediate physician notification. Analgesics or sitting with the patient delays critical intervention.