Exam 1 Mod 1&2 Flashcards
(174 cards)
Compression of the trigeminal nerve (CN V) causing irritation, focal demyelination of the nerve, inflammation.
Pain occurs abruptly & lasts a short amount of time.
Trigeminal Neuralgia
Trigeminal Neuralgia drug therapy includes:
Carbamazepine- first line
Corticosteroids
Diazepam or tricyclic antidepressants
What are some possible triggers for trigeminal
neuralgia?
-Smiling
-Brushing teeth
-Eating
Surgical tx trigeminal neuralgia
gamma knife radiosurgery or microvascular decompression
What is the post-surgical care for trigeminal neuralgia?
-Ice pack
-Soft diet
-Avoid chewing on the affected side
-Perform frequent cranial nerve assessments
What is a seizure?
Abnormal, sudden, excessive, uncontrolled electrical discharge of neurons within the brain.
May result in a change in LOC, motor or sensory ability, and/or behavior.
What type of seizure?
Loss of consciousness
Stiffening of body
Jerking of extremities
May be associated with biting tongue, incontinence
Postictal: muscle soreness, tired
Generalized Tonic-Clonic (Grand-Mal) Seizure
What type of seizure?
Staring spell or brief loss of consciousness
Can be precipitated by hyperventilation or flashing lights
Generalized Absence (Petit Mal) Seizure
What type of seizure?
May remain focal or progress to generalized tonic-clonic
Simple-partial: No loss of consciousness, focal motor
Partial Seizures
Status epilepticus is a medical emergency. It is continuous or rapidly occurring seizures. What does it cause?
brain damage, arrhythmias, hypoxemia, & acidosis
What is considered to be “impending status epilepticus?”
Seizure activity lasting longer than 5 minutes
What do we do for status epilepticus?
Initially, intravenous lorazepam/diazepam is administered to stop motor movements. This is followed by the administration of phenytoin.
May require endotracheal intubation for airway protection
Steps to Seizures
What do we do first?
Seizure Management Pearls
Protect the patient from injury.
Do not force anything into the patient’s mouth.
Turn the patient to the side to prevent aspiration and keep the airway clear.
Remove any objects that might injure the patient.
Suction oral secretions if possible without force.
Loosen any restrictive clothing the patient is wearing.
Do not restrain or try to stop the patient’s movement; guide movements if necessary.
Steps to Seizures
What medications?
IV push lorazepam or diazepam.
What do all anticonvulsants cause?
All anticonvulsants can cause drowsiness, ataxia (lack of coordination) and CNS depression (resp. depression)
Levetiracetam (Keppra): best choice for outpatient,
most popular, monitor CBC.
Phenytoin: causes gingival hyperplasia, bone marrow
suppression, rash, IV vesicant, monitor blood levels
and CBC (q3 months).
Carbamazepine: causes bone marrow suppression,
monitor blood levels and CBC.
Divalproex (Depakote): causes hepatotoxicity, bone
marrow suppression, monitor CBC, blood levels and
LFTs.
Steps to Seizures
What do we do once the seizure has stopped?
Reorient the pt.
Record the time the seizure began and ended.
Check blood glucose levels. Seizures can occur due to hypoglycemia.
Make sure airway is clear.
Ask if they have felt an aura before the seizure or have triggers.
A nurse is assessing a client who has a seizure disorder.
The client tells the nurse, “I am about to have a seizure.”
Which of the following actions should the nurse implement? (select all that apply)
A. Provide Privacy
B. Ease the client to the floor if standing
C. Move furniture away from the client.
D. Loosen the client’s clothing
E. Protect the client’s head with padding
F. Restrain the client
A. Provide Privacy
B. Ease the client to the floor if standing
C. Move furniture away from the client.
D. Loosen the client’s clothing
E. Protect the client’s head with padding
A nurse is caring for a client who just experienced a
generalized seizure. Which of the following actions
should the nurse perform first?
A. Keep the client in a side-lying position
B. Document the duration of the seizure
C. Reorient the client to the environment
D. Provide client hygiene
A. Keep the client in a side-lying position
B. Document the duration of the seizure
The greatest risk to the client is aspiration during the postictal phase. Side-lying position allows secretions to drain from the mouth, keeping the airway patent.
Priority is always safety.
A nurse is providing discharge instructions to a client who
has a prescription for phenytoin. Which of the following
instructions should the nurse include?
A. Consider taking an antacid when on this medication
B. Watch for receding gums when taking the medication
C. Take the medication at the same time every day
D. Provide a urine sample to determine therapeutic levels of
the medication
C. Take the medication at the same time every day
A nurse is reviewing trigger factors that can cause seizures with a client who has a new diagnosis of generalized seizures. Which of the following information should the nurse include in the review? (select all that apply)
A. Avoid overwhelming fatigue
B. Remove caffeinated products from the diet
C. Limit looking at flashing lights
D. Perform aerobic exercises
E. Limit episodes of hypoventilation
F. Use of aerosol hairspray is recommended
A. Avoid overwhelming fatigue
B. Remove caffeinated products from the diet
C. Limit looking at flashing lights
How do we differentiate between bacterial
and viral meningitis? Which one is worse?
Meningitis is an acute infection and inflammation of meninges.
Differentiate by CSF analysis w/ lumbar puncture
Bacterial meningitis is an acute, life threatening emergency.
Good prognosis for viral meningitis.
What type of precautions is used for meningitis?
droplet
Clinical Presentation of Meningitis
-Headache like they have never felt before
-Nuchal rigidity, back of the neck is stiff
-Nausea/vomiting
-Photophobia: eye discomfort due to exposure to light
-Brudzinski Sign: flexion of the neck elicits flexion of hips and knees
-Kernig Sign: bilateral hamstring pain prevents straightening of the leg
What is the most important thing to monitor for meningitis?
level of consciousness