Neurological Assessment
These three responses make up the Glasgow Coma Scale.
What are eye opening, verbal response, and motor response?
Subtracting ICP from MAP calculates this measure of brain perfusion.
What is cerebral perfusion pressure?
This term describes bruising of brain tissue.
What is a cerebral contusion?
This type of stroke results from a blocked artery.
What is an ischemic stroke?
These three words are represented by the abbreviation SCI.
What is Spinal Cord Injury?
Comparing strength and sensation on both sides helps identify this type of localized neurological abnormality.
What is a focal neurological deficit?
Once intracranial compensation is exhausted, a small increase in volume causes a large increase in this pressure.
What is intracranial pressure?
Hypoxia, hypotension, edema, and ischemia can cause this additional brain injury after the initial trauma.
What is secondary brain injury?
Ascending weakness and reduced or absent reflexes are characteristic findings of this syndrome.
What is Guillain–Barré syndrome?
This condition causes temporary flaccidity and absent reflexes below the spinal cord injury.
What is spinal shock?
A patient follows commands but has difficulty producing or understanding language. This impairment should be considered.
What is aphasia?
With MAP 90 mmHg and ICP 20 mmHg, this is the calculated CPP.
What is 70 mmHg?
Use of this medication class increases concern for intracranial bleeding after a head injury.
What are anticoagulants?
Before giving a patient with an acute stroke food, fluids, or oral medications, this screening must be completed.
What is a swallow screen?
Loss of motor function and pain/temperature sensation with preserved vibration and position sense suggests this syndrome.
What is anterior cord syndrome?
Among stable chronic weakness, baseline pupil asymmetry, and new weakness with slurred speech, this finding requires the most urgent evaluation.
What is new weakness with slurred speech?
Increased urine output and falling BP during mannitol therapy raise concern for this loss of circulating volume.
What is hypovolemia?
A patient with TBI has SpO₂ 84% and systolic BP 82 mmHg. These two problems require urgent correction to limit secondary injury.
What are hypoxia and hypotension?
New difficulty swallowing and a weak cough in Guillain–Barré syndrome raise concern for these two serious complications.
What are aspiration and respiratory failure?
A patient with chronic T4 SCI develops severe hypertension and a pounding headache. This position helps lower blood pressure while the trigger is investigated.
What is sitting upright?
Decreased LOC with a new dilated, nonreactive pupil requires this level of response rather than waiting for the next scheduled check.
What is immediate emergency/neurosurgical escalation with airway and oxygenation support?
Fever, worsening neurological status, and cloudy CSF in a patient with an EVD raise concern for this complication.
What is infection?
GCS falls from 13 to 9 with new unilateral weakness after TBI. This change requires urgent escalation rather than being attributed to fatigue.
What is neurological deterioration?
New confusion and weakness several days after an aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage may indicate this complication associated with vasospasm.
What is delayed cerebral ischemia?
Hypotension, bradycardia, and warm skin suggest neurogenic shock after trauma, but this additional cause of shock must still be assessed.
What is hemorrhage?