11th Hour Review Flashcards
What are the key points to spinal fusion?
- For curves >40%, braces are for < 40%
- Anterior or posterior approach, or both
- Most common: posterior spinal fusion w/ instrumentation and bone grafting
- align first, then insert metal rods to keep everything in place
What are our post op concerns for spinal fusion?
- Long recovery
- Post op worried about resp status since we’ve adjusted spine
- May need chest tube
- Mobility will be limited, can’t bend, will need to do logroll in bed
- Will get PCA so they can control the pain meds
- When they’re done and healed, they’ll be completely ok
What are the nursing interventions for GU consequences of immobility?
- I/Os
- Stimulate bladder
What is our nursing care management for spinal cord injuries?
- Acute Phase
- Airway, Neuro checks, Neurogenic shock, UOP, temp
- Stabilizing the mobility of neck
- Neck brace care
- Pain management
- Spasticity management
- Rehab phase
- DVT and PE prevention.
- Autonomic dysreflexia
What are the stages of bone healing?
- Inflammatory
- Callus
- Bone
- Remodeling
What are the six “P’s” that indicate possible compartment syndrome?
- Pain
- Pallor
- Pressure
- Paralysis
- Paresthesia
- Pulselessness
What are our nursing care issues regarding traction?
- Know purpose/function of traction
- Maintain traction
- Not to be d/c’d without physician order
- Do not lift up on weights or hold them for extended amounts of time
- No knots in rope length, knots securing rope to weights/devices need to be secure
- Ropes should move freely through pulleys
- Maintain alignment
- Prevent skin breakdown
How is the dx of osteomyelitis confirmed?
- X-rays/bone scan
- CRP, ESR
- Blood culture
Med care of osteomyelitis?
- abx
- surgery
- symptom management
- No active range of motion
What is Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy?
- Most severe and most common MD in childhood
- Atrophy profound in later stages
- This effects muscle cells!
- Around 2 the s/s start
How is Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy dx’d?
- Waddling gait, falls, lordosis/scoliosis
- Muscle biopsy
- fatty fibrous tissues have invaded muscle cells (indicates positive)
- Blood enzymes
Key points for Progressive Infantile Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)?
- Autosomal recessive trait
- Most common paralytic form of floppy infant syndrome (congenital hypotonia)
- Degeneration in spinal cord and brainstem, resulting in atrophy of skeletal muscles, progressive weakness
- Age of onset variable; earlier onset has poorest prognosis
How is Spinal Muscular Atrophy dx’d?
- electromyography,
- muscle biopsy
Nursing Care for SMA?
- Coordination of care
- Nutrition
- Activities to promote mobility
- Treatment is symptomatic
- Prevent infection or treat infection
- Respiratory is biggest concern
- Family education and support
What is Baclofen
used for,
how is it administered
and why?
- It is used to decrease muscle spasticity
- It is administered interthecally via pump that provides a steady dose
- The steady dose reduces possible sfx (over oral administration)
How does Baclofen work?
It blocks activity of nerves in the part of the brain that controls the contraction and relaxation of skeletal muscles to help them relax.
What is our post-op nursing care for a newborn with a myelomeningocele?
- Prone or side-lying position
- Same as any post-op
- I/O
- Monitor for infection - like a lot a lot
- Pain ctrl
- Neuro checks
- Location of site will determine type of care needed
What are the long-term care issues to keep in mind for a child born w/ myelomeningocele?
- Orthopedic Considerations
- Management of Genitourinary Function
- Bowel Control
What are the 6 steps for degeration of LOC?
- Irritable but consolable
- Irritable and inconsolable
- Lethargic when left alone
- Needs more stimulation to wake up
- No response to touch
- No response to pain
Re: LOC, define Lethargic
- Drowsy but awakens with stimulation, slow to answer questions
Re: LOC, define Obtunded
- Difficult to arouse, falls back to sleep in the absence of stimulation
What is “Cushing’s Triad”?
- A response to increased ICP
- Decreased HR
- Increased BP
- Irregular breathing
- This is a really late sign
- We want to catch it early
What are the early s/s of increased ICP in children?
- Headache,
- vomiting without nausea,
- blurred vision,
- seizures,
- decreased LOC
What are the early s/s of increased ICP in infants?
- Tense or bulging fontanel,
- high-pitched cry,
- changes in feeding,
- vomiting,
- irritability (which is a decrease in LOC)
What are the late s/s of increased ICP in infants and children?
- Cushings Triad
- Bradycardia,
- irregular breathing,
- widening pulse pressure,
- alteration in pupil size or reactivity,
- coma
Treatment for ICP?
- Abx if bacterial cause of ICP
- Antiseizure if they’re seizing
- Corticosteroids to reduce cerebral edema
- Diuretic to decrease fluid
- Restrict fluid
- Watch I/O fluids
- Only hypertonic solutions
- Hypotonic will cross blood/brain barrier and increase ICP
Nursing Care for a Child s/p VP Shunt Placement
- Continually monitor LOC
- Monitor for s/s infection
- Incision site care
What are the considerations for Diastat use?
- If seizure lasts more than 5 mins, then this is used to stop the seizure
- If < then 5 and typical for the child, don’t use and family will keep track of episodes
- Educate family to TAKE THE CAP off before they stick it up their kid’s ass!
- If used, you’ll need to take kid to HCP for f/u
Treatment for febrile seizures, while in hospital?
Pt will be given IV or rectal diazepam
What are the long term complications of meningitis?
- Deafness
- Seizure disorder
- Hydrocephalus
- Cognitive Deficits
What is the tx for Viral (Aseptic) Meningitis?
- Treatment is just manage s/s and sequelae
- Sequelae = whatever happens after
- Sometimes given anti-virals
What are some causes of encephalitis?
Rabies, HSV, ebstein barr, varicella, mesquito virus, measles/mumps
What is responsible for the dramatic decline of bacterial meningitis?
The Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type B) vaccine in 1990
What are two things that can be triggered when you have CNS trauma or illness and what are the key points of each?
- SIADH
- Oversecretion of ADH
- Fluid retention and hypotonicity
- Decreased sodium levels
- Diabetes Insipidus
- Posterior pituitary hypofunction
- Under Secretion of ADH
- Uncontrolled diuresis
What is Measles and how is it spread?
- AKA Rubeola
- Caused by Morbillivirus
- It is airborne
What are the complications (conditions) that can arise from Measles?
- Pneumonia (1:20 infected aquire it)
- Encephalitis
- Death
What is Mumps and how is it spread?
- Epidemic parotitis caused by Mumps virus
- It is droplet
What are the complications that can arise from a Mumps infection?
- Meningitis (occurs in 1:10)
- Encephalitis (causes deafness)
- Testicular swelling (can cause permanent damage)
What is diphtheria and how is it transmitted?
- an acute, highly contagious bacterial disease causing inflammation of the mucous membranes, formation of a false membrane in the throat that hinders breathing and swallowing, and potentially fatal heart and nerve damage by a bacterial toxin in the blood
- contact, droplet transmission
S/S of Diphtheria
- can be asymptomatic
- sore throat,
- fever,
- difficulty swallowing
- DEAD TISSUE ON TONSILS