Check Your Understanding Questions

1.

The nurse is caring for a patient who experienced a traumatic brain injury during a motor vehicle accident. The patient’s wife asked the nurse why the patient is having trouble breathing if his lungs were not affected by the accident. How should the nurse respond?

2.

The nurse is performing a neurological assessment on an 88-year-old patient. What normal age-related changes should the nurse be aware of?

3.

The nurse is caring for a 20-year-old college student. The nurse is concerned the patient may have meningitis, based on the patient’s presentation and chief complaint. What clinical manifestations are common with this infectious neurological disorder?