Within 4 hours after a cervical spinal injury, the client can discriminate light touch and position of the arms but cannot perform any motor function. What is the nurse's interpreta-tion of this finding?
A. The client is likely to have a full recovery from this injury.
B. The spinal cord has experienced a complete injury.
C. The spinal cord injury is posterior.
D. The spinal cord injury is anterior.
D
With a spinal cord injury to the anterior portion of the cervical spine, the client may retain some sensory function (touch, vibration, and position are in the posterior portion) but may not have motor function and pain and temperature sensation. Whether the injury is permanent or tempo-rary cannot be ascertained at this time.
You might also like to view...
A group of college athletes from the volleyball team have reported concerns about the reports regarding their weight and nutritional status
The reports were based on BMI (body mass index) values. The team's healthcare provider that collected the data and sent the reports decided to change their recommendations based on which explanation? 1. BMI reports are best used for athletes who are engaging in bodybuilding activities. 2. BMI classifications should be used only on older adults. 3. BMI classifications do not take into account racial or physical variations. 4. Nutritional status of a college student should be evaluated using skinfold measurements.
A patient is prescribed warfarin (Coumadin) for chronic atrial fibrillation. Which laboratory value will be used to monitor the effects of this medication?
1. Platelet count 2. Hematocrit and hemoglobin 3. Partial thromboplastin time (PTT) 4. PT reported as international normalized ratio (INR)
It is important to use the correct solvent in the correct amount when reconstituting a medication
Indicate whether the statement is true or false
An older adult client is monitored carefully for complications of procedures that require an NPO order before the testing. The nurse observes for signs of:
A. Disorientation B. Dehydration C. Skin breakdown D. Mucosal irritation