A nurse is caring for a patient who was involved in a motor vehicle accident.The patient is alert and oriented and reports a loss of consciousness immediately after the accident.
Which of the following additional symptoms should the nurse assess the patient for? (Select All that Apply.)

Choice A rationale

Respiratory therapy is primarily concerned with the treatment and management of a patient’s breathing. While swallowing difficulties can potentially lead to respiratory issues such as aspiration pneumonia, the primary role of evaluating and treating swallowing difficulties falls outside the scope of respiratory therapy.
Choice B rationale
Nutritional therapy would be involved in managing the dietary needs of a patient with Parkinson’s disease, including modifications to food texture and liquid consistency if swallowing difficulties are present. However, the evaluation and treatment of the swallowing difficulty itself would be managed by a speech therapist.
Choice C rationale
Occupational therapy could assist with adaptations to enhance the patient’s feeding skills and independence during meals. However, the specific evaluation and treatment of swallowing function is typically within the scope of a speech therapist.
Choice D rationale
Speech therapists, or speech-language pathologists, are the professionals specifically trained to evaluate and treat individuals with speech, language, voice, and swallowing disorders. This would include a patient with Parkinson’s disease experiencing difficulty swallowing.

Choice A rationale
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can indeed disrupt cellular function and cause blood vessel damage. This can lead to a range of potential effects, from temporary changes in brain function to long-term complications or even death.
Choice B rationale
Damage to brain tissue from decreased pressure shock waves is not typically associated with TBI. This type of injury is more commonly associated with blast injuries, such as those caused by explosions.
Choice C rationale
While increased blood supply and edema (swelling) can occur in the area of a brain injury, they are typically responses to the injury rather than direct consequences of the TBI itself. These processes can contribute to further damage and complications.
Choice D rationale
A TBI does not typically lead to increased synaptic connections. In fact, the injury can cause loss of neurons and synapses, which can lead to long-term cognitive and functional impairments.