NR 603 Practice Test Exam Questions With Complete Solution

NR 603 Practice Test Exam Questions With Complete Solution A 75-year-old man is involved in a motor vehicle accident and strikes his forehead on the windshield. He complains of neck pain and severe burning in his shoulders and arms. His physical examination reveals weakness of his upper extremities. What type of spinal cord injury does this patient have? A anterior cord syndrome B central cord syndrome C Brown-Séquard syndrome D complete cord transection E cauda equina syndrome ANS: B - CORRECT ANSWER Central Cord Syndrome the central cord syndrome involves loss of motor function that is more severe in the upper extremities than in the lower extremities, and is more severe in the hands. There is typically hyperesthesia over the shoulders and arms. Anterior cord syndrome presents with paraplegia or quadriplegia, loss of lateral spinothalamic function with preservation of posterior column function. Brown-Séquard syndrome consists of weakness and loss of posterior column function on one side of the body distal to the lesion with contralateral loss of lateral spinothalamic function one to two levels below the lesion. Complete cord transection would affect motor and sensory function distal to the lesion. Cauda equina syndrome typically presents as low back pain with radiculopathy. A 37-year-old man fell from a ladder as he finished hanging the Christmas lights on his house. The right side of his head hit the alley cement, and he lost consciousness for about 1 minute; he woke up with a headache, but he had no other complaints. A few hours later, the patient is brought to the emergency room by his neighbor because of an intense headache, confusion, and left hand hemiparesis. On examination, the patient has a bruise located over the right temporal region, mydriasis, and right deviation of the right eye, papilledema, and left extensor plantar response. An emergency CT scan of the head without contrast reveals a lens-shaped hyper-density under the right temporal bone with mass effect and edema. What is the most likely diagnosis? Answer Choices 1 Epidural hematoma 2 Subdural hematoma 3 Subarachnoid hemorrhage 4 Intracerebral parenchymal hemorrhage 5 Acute meningitis ANS: 1 - CORRECT ANSWER Epidural Hematoma Epidural hematoma most often results from a traumatic tear of the middle meningeal artery. Although a lucid interval ranging from minutes to hours followed by altered mental status and focal deficits is typical for epidural hematoma, this clinical picture is only encountered in up to 1/3 of the patients. The collection of blood between the skull and dura mater causes an evident mass effect with ophthalmic nerve palsy and the contralateral hemiparesis. Surgical evacuation of the clot via burr holes is the treatment of choice. Subdural hematoma results from a traumatic rupture of the bridging veins that connect the cerebrum to the venous sinuses within the dura. This venous hemorrhage will result in a gradual increase of the hematoma, with a progressive clinical picture over days or weeks. The CT scan will show a concave, crescent-shaped hyper-density compared to the convex, lens-shaped hyper-density in epidural hematoma. Subarachnoid hemorrhage is the result of an aneurysm rupture; the most common is the congenital berry aneurysm. The clinical picture is of a sudden, severe headache with meningeal irritation. A CT scan will show blood in the subarachnoid space, and a lumbar puncture will reveal xanthochromia CSF. Intracerebral parenchymal hemorrhage is most likely caused by hypertension complicated with Charcot-Bouchard aneurysms. The blood accumulates into the brain substance and most commonly involves the basal ganglia. Acute meningitis is not associated with trauma. Fever and signs of meningeal irritation dominate the clinical picture. Lumbar puncture, indicated if there are no focal neurological signs on clinical examination, will be the diagnostic procedure. The CT scan of the patient presented in this case is characteristic for epidural hematoma, and there is no indication for a lumbar puncture. A 31-year-old woman presents with a purpural rash covering her arms, legs, and abdomen. She also has fever, chills, nausea, abdominal tenderness, tachycardia, and generalized myalgias. Prior to the development of the rash, the patient noted that she had a headache, cough, and sore throat. Laboratory studies were positive for Gram-negative diplococci in the blood, along with thrombocytopenia and an elevation in PMNs. Urinalysis showed blood, protein, and casts. Vital signs are as follows: PB 92/66, P 96, RR 14, T 39. The patient denies any foreign travel and does not have any sick contacts. However, she does work part time as a nurse in a local hospital. Question The patient is diagnosed with Meningococcemia; she is admitted to the hospital and placed in respiratory isolation. What major course of therapy should this patient receive? Answer Choices 1 Steroids 2 Supportive care 3 Antibiotics 4 Transfusion 5 Bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein ANS:3 - CORRECT ANSWER Antibiotics Antibiotics are the treatment of choice for meningococcemia. The preferred drug for active infection is penicillin G. For those allergic to penicillin, chloramphenicol and cephalosporins (ie, cefotaxime, cefuroxime) may be used as alternatives. Patients will also receive supportive care, but antibiotic therapy must be initiated quickly if the patient is to survive. Intensive care placement may be necessary if organ failure is imminent. Ventilatory support, inotropic support, and IV fluids are necessary in some. If adrenal insufficiency occurs, corticosteroid replacement may be considered. A central venous line helps to provide large amounts of volume expanders and inotropic medications for adequate tissue perfusion. Steroids have not been shown to play a major role in the treatment of meningococcemia. However, they have been used in addition to antibiotic therapy. In the case of adrenal insufficiency, for example, steroid replacement has been shown to be beneficial. Transfusion does not generally play a major role in treatment. If the patient suffers from a devastating coagulopathy, blood or blood products may be replaced as necessary. Bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein is a protein stored in the granules of neutrophils. It binds to endotoxin in vitro and neutralizes it. This technique is experimental, and it is not used in everyday treatment of meningococcemia. In myasthenia gravis, weakness is a result of insufficient acetylcholine transmission at the neuromuscular junction; however, weakness can also occur with overdosing of the cholinergic medications used to treat myasthenia. What symptom helps differentiate a myasthenic crisis from a cholinergic crisis? Answer Choices 1 Respiratory failure 2 Bilateral ptosis 3 Muscle fasciculations 4 Diplopia 5 Normal muscle stretch reflexes ANS: 3 - CORRECT ANSWER Muscle Fasiculations Signs of cholinergic overdosage include muscle fasciculation, rhinorrhea, lacrimation, salivation, increased bronchial secretions, nausea, or diarrhea. The presence of any of these suggests that the patient's weakness may be due to cholinergic crisis. The other signs are due to weakness and can occur in either condition