Nursing 3910A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Pressure Ulcer, Brainstem, Unconsciousness

• School: Western University
• Department: Nursing
• Course: Nursing 3910A/B
• Professor: David Reid

Document Summary

Coma: unresponsiveness, client is unarousable, with no purposeful movement, usually lasts about two weeks. Akinetic: unresponsive to environment, no purposeful movement or sounds, will sometimes open eyes. Persistent: wakeful (after coma) with no cognitive function. Locked in syndrome: includes paralysis, affects whole body but not eyes. You retain (cid:271)rai(cid:374) fu(cid:374)(cid:272)tio(cid:374), (cid:272)a(cid:374)"t talk or (cid:272)o(cid:373)(cid:373)u(cid:374)i(cid:272)ate (cid:271)ut (cid:455)ou (cid:272)a(cid:374) u(cid:374)dersta(cid:374)d (cid:449)hat is goi(cid:374)g o(cid:374) Obtunded: decreased arousal and awareness, not very good at following demands. Causes of altered loc: alcohol, epilepsy/ electrolytes. Not a disorder, function and symptom of multiple pathophysiologic phenomena: neurologic trauma, stroke, any damage to the brain (usually not a normal pupillary response, toxicologic drugs/alcohol, metabolic renal/hepatic failure, ketoacidodid. Liver failure: build up on ammonia in the body. Scans of the head: x-ray, ct, mri, eeg. Is a continuum, manifestations depend on where the ct is on the continuum. Changes in the eye opening response, verbal response, motor response.