Neurological Assessment and Management in the ICU Flashcards
6 cards from real Acute Care Nurse Practitioner practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Neurological Assessment and Management in the ICU flashcards as text
Status epilepticus (SE) is defined as continuous seizure activity lasting longer than how many minutes?
Answer: 5 minutes
Status epilepticus is defined as seizure activity lasting ≥5 minutes or two seizures without return to baseline, requiring immediate treatment.
Which medication is first-line treatment for status epilepticus in adult ICU patients?
Answer: Lorazepam IV
IV lorazepam (benzodiazepine) is the first-line treatment for status epilepticus due to its rapid onset and efficacy.
Which finding is MOST consistent with brain death on clinical examination?
Answer: Absent pupillary light reflexes bilaterally
Bilateral absence of pupillary light reflexes is one of the key clinical criteria for brain death determination.
Which electrolyte abnormality is MOST commonly associated with seizures in critically ill patients?
Answer: Hyponatremia
Hyponatremia causes cerebral edema and lowers seizure threshold; acute, severe hyponatremia is a common reversible cause of seizures in the ICU.
A patient with hemorrhagic stroke on warfarin has an INR of 4.2. Which reversal strategy should be used FIRST?
Answer: 4-factor prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC)
4-factor PCC rapidly and completely reverses warfarin anticoagulation and is preferred over FFP for urgent reversal in hemorrhagic stroke.
Which intervention is the definitive treatment for herniation due to a large unilateral hemispheric infarct (malignant MCA stroke)?
Answer: Decompressive hemicraniectomy
Decompressive hemicraniectomy within 48 hours significantly reduces mortality in malignant MCA infarction with midline shift.