Seize the Day!
Name 2 common Epilepsy treatments.
What is antiseizure medication, surgery, neurostimulation, diet/lifestyle?
If an EEG electrode becomes loose, this member of the healthcare team should be notified according to unit workflow.
Who is the EEG technologist/technician?
Your first priority when a patient begins having a seizure.
What is patient safety?
Where is the radioactive tracer stored?
What is the locked cabinet/secured location?
A major goal of an EMU admission is to capture and characterize these.
What are the patient's typical events/seizures?
These events can resemble epileptic seizures but occur without the abnormal electrical activity associated with an epileptic seizure.
What are psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES)/ functional seizures?
During a suspected event, the nurse should avoid blocking this because it may provide valuable information for later review.
What is the camera/video view of the patient?
During an event, asking the patient to remember a word or object can help assess this afterward.
What is memory/recall?
During an ictal SPECT, timing is especially important. This is the time goal for administration from seizure onset.
What is the tracer should be administered in 90 seconds in relation to this event?
A patient says, 'I feel one coming.' The nurses’ next actions should be.
What are safety observations, assessment during the event asking the patient questions?
This type of seizure begins in one hemisphere of the brain.
What is a focal seizure?
During an event, the RN maintains safety and begins testing. How long should testing continue?
What is until the patient returns to baseline?
You are getting report from the EMU RN what are 2 things you need to know to ensure your shift goes smoothly.
what their seizures look like, if they have had any events, what are PRN meds, post-ictal behaviors, med status (held meds), and any provocations used.
Following injection, transport to Nuclear Medicine should occur within this time frame.
What is within 4 hours?
Not including oxygen, suction and seizure pads, name 1 other safety precaution for patients admitted for EMU.
What are rubber floors, bathroom rule, fall mats and bed alarms?
This seizure classification involves networks on both sides of the brain from onset.
What is a generalized seizure?
Chewing gum and scratching or rubbing the patient's head should be avoided because they can cause this problem with the EEG recording.
What is artifact?
Can last minutes to hours after the event; Pt may display confusion, fatigue, headache, sore muscles, weakness or trouble speaking.
What is the postictal period?
During your SPECT injection you spill the isotope on the patient's arm, what are your next 3 steps.
What is
1.Rinse with warm and dab with pad
2. No one leaves the room
3.Notify NM department to come survey
A night-shift nurse sees an ordered antiseizure medication trough level. When should this typically be drawn?
What is before the next dose?
Lip smacking, picking at clothing, or repetitive hand movements during a seizure are examples of these.
What are automatisms?
Name 2 techniques to provoke an event.
What are hyperventilation, photic stimulation, medication reduction, sleep deprivation, and activity?
Name three pieces of information the nurse should have ready when urgently notifying the EMU provider after an event.
What are any 3 of: event time/duration/frequency, what was observed, postictal exam/recovery, medications?
SPECT stands for this.
What is Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography?
During an event, a nurse documents 'seizure lasted 2 minutes.' Name three additional observations and where to document.
Seizure tab; Examples: responsiveness, eye/head deviation, movements and body part involved, speech/language, awareness, memory, onset/sequence, or post-event behavior.