The nurse is speaking to the client and suspects a weakness in eye muscle after observing the eyes cross.
What test should the nurse administer to further assess this problem?

Choice A rationale

The electrical representations of the cardiac cycle that are documented by deflections on recording paper are known as an electrocardiogram (ECG). ECGs provide a visual record of the heart's electrical activity, captured through electrodes placed on the body. These deflections correspond to the depolarization and repolarization phases of the heart's muscle cells, translating into P, QRS, and T waves on the ECG strip. The primary function is to diagnose arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, and other heart conditions by identifying abnormal patterns in these waves.

Choice B rationale

This choice describes cardiac output, the amount of blood ejected from the left ventricle over one minute, which is unrelated to the visual documentation of electrical activity provided by an ECG.

Choice C rationale

This choice refers to the stroke volume, the amount of blood ejected with each heartbeat, not the electrical representation of cardiac activity shown on an ECG.

Choice D rationale

This choice is partially correct but does not fully describe an ECG, which includes a detailed recording on paper rather than just visual electrical impulses on a screen.

Choice A rationale

The sides of the mouth being symmetric when the patient smiles indicate intact function of the facial cranial nerve (CN VII). This nerve controls the muscles responsible for facial expressions, including smiling, frowning, and closing the eyes. Symmetry in these actions suggests that the facial nerve is functioning properly and that there is no nerve damage or weakness.

Choice B rationale

The patient's eyes moving to the left, right, up, down, and obliquely during conversation are functions of the oculomotor nerve (CN III), trochlear nerve (CN IV), and abducens nerve (CN VI), not the facial cranial nerve (CN VII). These nerves work together to control the movements of the eye muscles, enabling the eyes to move in different directions and maintain proper alignment.

Choice C rationale

Periodic blinking of the eyelids involves the oculomotor nerve (CN III) and the facial nerve (CN VII). The oculomotor nerve controls the muscles that lift the eyelid, while the facial nerve controls the muscles that close the eyelid. Blinking is a coordinated action involving both nerves, but the observation alone is not sufficient to determine the integrity of CN VII.

Choice D rationale

The patient moistening the lips with the tongue involves the function of the hypoglossal nerve (CN XII), which controls the movements of the tongue. The hypoglossal nerve is responsible for the motor control of most of the tongue muscles, allowing for actions like licking the lips, speaking, and swallowing. It is not related to the facial cranial nerve (CN VII).