When admitting a 42-year-old patient with a possible brain injury after a car accident to the emergency department (ED), the nurse obtains the following information. Which finding is most important to report to the health care provider?
a. The patient takes warfarin (Coumadin) daily.
b. The patient's blood pressure is 162/94 mm Hg.
c. The patient is unable to remember the ac-cident.
d. The patient complains of a severe dull headache.
ANS: A
The use of anticoagulants increases the risk for intracranial hemorrhage and should be immedi-ately reported. The other information would not be unusual in a patient with a head injury who had just arrived in the ED.
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