The nurse understands that consciousness is determined by the:

Which nursing measure will benefit a patient with a basal skull fracture?

The nurse would anticipate further assessment of a patient with a basal skull fracture to possibly reveal:

Which of the following is the most reliable index of a patient’s neurologic condition?

The nurse understands that pinpoint pupils usually are indicative of a lesion in the:

Nursing assessment of the patient with a spinal cord injury reveals all of the following except:

A 25-year-old man, disoriented to time and place, is admitted to the ED. His co-worker states that the patient was hit on the head with a beam 2 hours ago and that the incident caused momentary unconsciousness. The patient was fine until 30 minutes ago, when he became tired and confused. Physical examination reveals a dilated nonreactive left pupil. Vital signs are blood pressure 160/80 mmHg, pulse rate 80 beats/minute, and respiratory rate 16 breaths/minute. Which diagnostic test would the nurse anticipate the physician to order initially?

Which physiologic event precipitates most neurologic emergencies?

The nurse typically begins to assess level of consciousness by using:

At which level does the phrenic nerve innervate the diaphragm?