The nurse is caring for a trauma patient with a suspected brain injury and Battle's Sign.
The nurse notices a yellow stain around fluid dripping from the patient's ear.
The nurse's priority intervention will be as follows:
Prevent the drainage by applying a pressure dressing.
Allow fluid to drain from the patient's ear onto gauze and notify the provider.
Hang intravenous (IV) fluids to replace fluids lost.
Administer antibiotics due to increased risk of infection.
The Correct Answer is B
Choice A rationale
Applying pressure to prevent drainage could force cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) back into the cranial cavity, increasing infection risk and intracranial pressure, potentially worsening brain injury. CSF leakage requires non-obstructive handling.
Choice B rationale
Allowing fluid to drain onto gauze prevents build-up of intracranial pressure while assessing for halo sign, indicating CSF leakage. Yellow staining reflects glucose presence in CSF, confirming dura mater damage.
Choice C rationale
Intravenous fluids manage hypovolemia but are not prioritized for trauma patient brain injuries. Replacing lost CSF requires specific medical intervention rather than fluid volume adjustments alone.
Choice D rationale
Antibiotics treat infections but are not first priority for confirmed CSF leakage, which demands careful monitoring of drainage to prevent neurological damage. Post-intervention antibiotics may be necessary.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Choice A rationale
The frontal lobe controls executive functions like reasoning and planning, not object identification errors. Damage here leads to issues with decision-making and voluntary movement, not misidentification of objects.
Choice B rationale
The temporal lobe processes auditory information and object recognition. Injury disrupts the brain's ability to associate visual stimuli with correct labels, causing errors like calling a pen "a key.”.
Choice C rationale
The parietal lobe processes sensory information related to touch, pain, and spatial awareness. Damage causes difficulty with spatial relations and perception but doesn't typically involve visual misidentification.
Choice D rationale
The occipital lobe handles visual processing. Damage affects vision or visual interpretation but does not impair the recognition or labeling of objects directly.
Correct Answer is A
Explanation
Choice A rationale
Hemiparesis on the right side and ataxia are common manifestations of left-sided stroke, where the motor cortex affecting the contralateral side is impaired, leading to muscle weakness and coordination loss.
Choice B rationale
Spasticity of the left arm suggests motor impairment on the ipsilateral side, which is inconsistent with the nature of left-sided strokes affecting the contralateral side. Apraxia lacks relation to motor loss here.
Choice C rationale
Impulsive behavior and hostility are more indicative of frontal lobe involvement, not motor loss secondary to left-sided strokes. These behaviors do not represent motor manifestations.
Choice D rationale
Visual defects like homonymous hemianopia and diplopia may occur in stroke but are not direct indicators of motor loss. They relate to occipital lobe or optic pathway damage.
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