A nurse is preparing a plan of care for a client who is postoperative following a cochlear implant insertion. Which of the following instructions should the nurse include in the plan of care?

A. Pooling of blood and edema around the eyes: Basilar skull fractures can lead to leakage of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) into the surrounding tissues, resulting in periorbital ecchymosis, also known as raccoon eyes, due to pooling of blood and edema around the eyes. This finding is characteristic of basilar skull fractures and is caused by disruption of the meninges and subsequent CSF leakage into the soft tissues of the face.

B. Ability to recall how the injury occurred: Memory loss regarding the events surrounding the injury, known as post-traumatic amnesia, is common with basilar skull fractures. This amnesia occurs due to the impact of the injury on the brain and may involve retrograde amnesia (loss of memory of events leading up to the injury) and anterograde amnesia (loss of memory of events occurring after the injury).

C. Bruising over the mastoid process: Bruising over the mastoid process, known as Battle sign, is associated with basilar skull fractures. Battle sign results from blood accumulation (hematoma) in the mastoid region behind the ear due to fracture-related injury to the middle meningeal artery or other blood vessels. This finding typically develops 24-48 hours after the injury.

D. Chvostek’s sign: Chvostek's sign is a clinical manifestation of hypocalcemia, not basilar skull fractures. It is elicited by tapping the facial nerve (facial nerve spasm) and is indicative of neuromuscular irritability due to decreased calcium levels. Chvostek's sign is not directly related to basilar skull fractures.

A) "Vision changes occur when pressure in the eye is increased due to a decrease of aqueous humor." This statement describes a mechanism associated with glaucoma, not cataracts. In cataracts, vision changes occur due to the opacity or cloudiness of the lens, not changes in intraocular pressure.

B) "Vision changes occur when blood vessels leak fluid or blood under a portion of the retina." This statement describes a mechanism associated with retinal diseases like diabetic retinopathy, not cataracts. In cataracts, the lens becomes cloudy, affecting the passage of light through the eye.

C) "Vision changes occur when the cloudy lens alters the passage of light through the eye." This statement is correct. Cataracts cause the lens of the eye to become cloudy, which interferes with the passage of light through the eye. This results in vision changes such as blurred vision, glare, and difficulty seeing in low light conditions.

D) "Vision changes occur when retinal tissue pulls away from the blood vessels in the eye." This statement describes a mechanism associated with retinal detachment, not cataracts. In cataracts, the lens becomes opaque, but the retinal tissue remains intact.