Chapter 49: Nursing Care of Patients with Cerebrovascular Disorders

1. A patient with a temporary loss of motor function is diagnosed with a transient ischemic attack (TIA). What should the nurse include when assisting in the teaching about this health problem? a. You had a small hemorrhage in your brain. b. Your brain was temporarily deprived of oxygen. c. The neurons in your brain are tangled, so messages get mixed up. d. You have a vessel that is occluded, blocking the blood supply to your brain. - B. Your brain was temporarily deprived of oxygen. TIA is a temporary impairment of the cerebral circulation causing neurological impairment that lasts LESS THAN 24 hours. A. A hemorrhage would cause a hemorrhagic stroke. D. A fully occluded vessel causes an ischemic stroke. C. Tangled messages refer to Alzheimers disease. 2. The nurse is assisting with teaching a patient who has had a transient ischemic attack (TIA). On which understanding should the nurse base teaching? a. TIAs are not serious, and the patient should have no further problems. b. A TIA is predictive that the patient will have a heart attack within 1 year. c. A TIA is a medical emergency that requires immediate surgical intervention. d. A TIA is a forewarning that the patient is at risk for a cerebrovascular accident (stroke). - D. A TIA is a forewarning that the patient is at risk for a cerebrovascular accident (stroke). About a third of patients who experience a TIA will have a stroke in the future. A. Urgent evaluation of TIA is essential in order to decrease the risk of stroke. B. There are no data related to myocardial infarction (MI) prediction. C. It is not a surgical problem. 3. The nurse is planning care for a client with right-sided weakness and aphasia from a transient ischemic attack (TIA). Which area of the brain should the nurse realize was affected in this client? a. Medulla b. Occipital lobe c. Left hemisphere d. Right hemisphere - C. Left hemisphere Symptom onset is sudden and generally involves the opposite side to the damaged area. 4. A patient with a cerebrovascular accident (stroke) has left-sided flaccidity and is unable to speak but seems to understand everything the nurse says. Which term should the nurse use to document the patients communication impairment? a. Sensory aphasia b. Motor dysphagia c. Expressive aphasia d. Receptive dysphagia - C. Expressive aphasia Aphasia may be expressive, in which the patient knows what he or she wants to say but cannot speak or make sense. 5. The nurse is documenting care provided to a patient with left-sided flaccidity caused by a stroke. Which term should the nurse use to document this patients motor status? a. Ipsilateral paraplegia b. Ipsilateral hemiparesis