The nurse understands that when the spinal cord is injured, ischemia and edema result. How should the nurse explain to the patient the reason that the extent of injury cannot be determined for several days to a week?

A. "Neurons need time to regenerate, so stating the extent of injury early is not predictive of how the patient progresses."
B. "Tissue repair does not begin for 72 hours."
C. "Necrosis of gray and white matter does not occur until days after the injury."
D. "The edema extends the level of injury two cord segments above and below the affected level."


Answer: D

Nursing

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