NPTE Review Flashcards
Neurapraxia
mildest form of acute nerve injury; axon/nerve fibers intact; rapid recovery usually in 4-6 weeks
Axonotmesis
more severe than neurapraxia; reversible damage to nerve fibers with possible Wallerian degeneration; recovery is spotty and surgery may be required for repair
Neurotmesis
most severe peripheral nerve injury; axon, myelin and connective tissue damaged; complete motor and sensory loss distal to injury; no spontaneous recovery
Ape Hand Deformity
atrophy of thenar musculature and first 2 lumbricals
Spondylitis
inflammation of the joints in the spine
Spondylosis
painful condition of the spine resulting from the degeneration of the intervertebral disks
Spondylolysis
crack or stress fracture develops through the pars interarticularis; most commonly in the fifth vertebra of the lumbar spine; sometimes occurs in the fourth lumbar vertebra (scotty dog fracture)
Spondylolisthesis
spondylolysis can weaken the vertebra so much that it is unable to maintain its proper position in the spine. This condition is called spondylolisthesis; fractured pars interarticularis separates, allowing the injured vertebra to shift or slip forward on the vertebra directly below it
Central Cord Syndrome (CCS)
incomplete SCI (compression/damage to central SC); MOI most often cervical hyperextension; motor loss greater in UE than LE and most severe distally in the UE; sensory loss below level of lesion limited (motor loss greater than sensory); damage can occur to spinothalamic, corticospinal and dorsal columns; most common incomplete SCI
Characteristics of Left CVA
right side weakness/paralysis; impaired processing; heightened frustration; aphasia; dysphagia; motor apraxia (ideational/ideomotor); right hemianopsia
Characteristics of Right CVA
left side weakness/paralysis; poor attention span; impaired awareness and judgement; spatial deficits; memory deficits; left inattention; emotional lability; impulsive behavior; left hemianopsia; (pusher syndrome maybe more common)
Chorea
jerky, involuntary movements; choreiform movements are repetitive and rapid, jerky, involuntary movement that appears to be well-coordinated
Athetoid
slow, involuntary, convoluted, writhing movements of the fingers, hands, toes, and feet and in some cases, arms, legs, neck and tongue
Relapse-remitting MS; RRMS
(85% of cases); characterized by clearly defined attacks of new or increasing neurologic symptoms. These attacks – also called relapses or exacerbations – are followed by periods of partial or complete recovery (remissions)
Secondary-progressive MS; SPMS
SPMS follows an initial relapsing-remitting course. Most people who are diagnosed with RRMS will eventually transition to a secondary progressive course in which there is a progressive worsening of neurologic function (accumulation of disability) over time. SPMS can be further characterized at different points in time as either active (with relapses and/or evidence of new MRI activity) or not active, as well as with progression (evidence of disease worsening on an objective measure of change over time, with or without relapses) or without progression.
Primary-progressive MS; PPMS
characterized by worsening neurologic function (accumulation of disability) from the onset of symptoms, without early relapses or remissions
Progressive-relapsing MS; PRMS
rare form of MS (5%), PRMS is characterized by a steadily worsening disease state from the beginning, with acute relapses but no remissions, with or without recovery
Anterior Cord Syndrome
incomplete SCI in which anterior 2/3 of SC is damaged; compression/damage to anterior spinal artery (most often via cervical flexion or fracture/dislocation); complete loss of motor function and loss of pain and temperature sensation bilaterally below the level of lesion due to damage to corticospinal and spinothalamic tracts; intact vibration and proprioception; worst prognosis of SC syndromes
S1 (heart sound)
closing of the mitral and tricuspid valves; onset of ventricular systole
S2 (heart sound)
closing of the aortic and pulmonary valves; onset of ventricular diastole
S3 (heart sound)
Ventricular gallop; may occur in healthy children and young adults; indicates a loss of ventricular compliance in the presence of heart disease or heart failure
S4 (heart sound)
Atrial gallop; associated with atrial contraction and an increased resistance to ventricular filling; common in pts. with HTN, history of MI, or coronary bypass surgery
Digitalis (digoxin)
Rx given to increase force of myocontractility, often prescribed for heart failure; increased cardiac output and decreased preload, cardiac workload, and myocardial oxygen demand; prolongs PR interval on ECG, may shorten QT interval or produce sagging in ST segment
Atrial flutter
abnormal heart rhythm characterized by rapid atrial tachycardia (250-350 bpm); fast but regular rhythm producing sawtooth P waves on ECG
Atrial fibrillation
arrhythmia characterized by erratic electrical conductivity of the atria; fast and irregular atrial rhythm
Vital Capacity (VC)
maximum volume of air that can be exhaled after a maximum inhalation; VC = IRV + TV + ERV
Expiratory Reserve Volume (ERV)
additional volume of air that can be exhaled beyond the normal tidal exhalation; component of VC
Inspiratory Reserve Volume (IRV)
additional volume of air that can be inhaled beyond normal tidal inhalation
Tidal Volume (TV)
volume of air inspired and expired with each breath during quiet breathing
Hypercalcemia
excessive level of calcium in blood; normal serum calcium is 8.4-10.2 mg/dL; increases heart actions (hypocalcemia depresses heart actions)
Hyperkalemia
excessive level of potassium in blood; normal serum potassium is 3.5-5.0 mEq/L (higher than 7 mEq/L cause hemodynamic and neurologic effects); higher than 8.5 mEq/L can cause respiratory paralysis and cardiac arrest); decreases rate and force of contraction, produces widened PR interval and QRS, tall T waves on ECG
Inspiratory Reserve Volume (IRV)
additional volume of air that can be inhaled beyond normal tidal inhalation; 55-60% of total lung capacity
Tidal Volume (TV)
volume of air inspired and expired with each breath during quiet breathing; 10% of total lung capacity (500 mL)
Specificity/SpPin
percentage of people who test negative for a specific disease among a group of people who do not have the disease (true negative); SpPin - in a test with high SPECIFICITY, a POSITIVE diagnostic test rules IN the diagnosis
Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR)
stimulated when head is turned to one side - response is arm/leg on face side are extended, and arm/leg on scalp side are flexed; birth to 6 months
Moro Reflex
stimulated when infant’s head is suddenly dropped into extension - response is arms abduct and finger open, then cross the trunk into adduction (often with crying); 28 weeks gestation to 5 months
Landau Reflex
equilibrium response that occurs when a child responds to prone suspension by aligning their head and extremities in line with the plane of the body; begins around 3 months and integrates around second year
Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (STNR)
stimulated by the head moving into flexion or extension; flexion causes arm to flex and legs to extend, extension causes arms to extend and legs to flex; 6-8 months
Plantar Grasp Reflex
stimulated by placing pressure on ball of the foot - response is flexion and curling of the toes; 28 weeks gestation to 9 months
Galant Reflex
stimulated by touching the skin along the spine from the shoulder to the hip - response is lateral flexion of the trunk to the side of the stimulus; 30 weeks gestation to 2 months
Residual Volume (RV)
volume of air remaining in the lungs after a forced expiratory effort; usually 1,000 mL, 25% of total lung capacity
Functional Residual Capacity (FRC)
amount of air remaining in the lungs at the end of normal tidal exhalation; 40% of total lung capacity
Total Lung Capacity (TLC)
maximum volume of air to which the lungs can be expanded; typically 4,000-6,000 mL
Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex (TLR)
in supine, body and extremities are held in extension; in prone, body and extremities are held in flexion (lie in sidling or supine with hips and knees in flexion in order to decrease influence of the reflex); birth to 6 months
Ottawa Knee Rules
Referral for knee X-ray is required for patients with knee injury with one or more of the following:
- Age 55 years or older
- Isolated patellar tenderness without other bone tenderness
- Tenderness of fibular head
- Inability to flex knee to 90 degrees
- Inability to bear weight immediately after injury or in ED
Ottawa Ankle Rules
Ankle x-ray only required if there is any pain in the malleolar zone and any of these findings:
- bone tenderness from posterior edge to tip of the lateral malleolus extending 6 cm proximally
- bone tenderness from posterior edge to tip of the medial malleolus extending 6 cm proximally
- Inability to take 4 steps immediately or in the ED
Ottawa Foot Rules
Foot x-ray only required if there is any pain in the midfoot zone and any of these findings:
- Bone tenderness at base of 5th metatarsal
- Bone tenderness of the navicular
- Inability to take 4 steps immediately or in the ED
Canadian C Spine Rule
- Any High risk factor for X-ray:
- Age 65 or older
- dangerous mechanism
- paresthesia in the extremities - Any Low Risk factor that allows safe assessment of ROM: (none refer to x-ray)
- Rear end MVA
- sitting position in the ED
- ambulatory at any time
- delayed onset of neck pain
- absence of midline c-spine tenderness - able to actively rotate neck 45 degrees bilaterally?
- unable = x-ray
Kehr’s sign
+ when pressure to the upper abdomen or supine positioning results in L shoulder pain.
Indicative of blood that accumulates in the abdominal cavity secondary to a ruptured spleen and cause irritation to the diaphragm. (Phrenic nerve: C3-C5)
SCI: ASIA A
Complete; No motor or sensory function is preserved in the sacral segments S4–S5.
SCI: ASIA B
Incomplete; Sensory function preserved but not motor function is preserved below the neurological level and includes the sacral segments S4–S5.
SCI: ASIA C
Incomplete; Motor function is preserved below the neurological level, and more than half of key muscles below the neurological level have a muscle grade less than 3.
COPD: GOLD Classification Stages
GOLD I: Mild - FEV1 ≥ 80% predicted; FEV1/FVC < 70%; with or without symptoms of cough and sputum production
GOLD II: Moderate - 50% ≤ FEV1 < 80% predicted; FEV1/FVC < 70%; SOB with exertion; with or without symptoms of cough and sputum production
GOLD III: Severe - 30% ≤ FEV1 < 50% predicted; FEV1/FVC < 70%; greater SOB with exercise, decreased exercise capacity, fatigue, and repeated exacerbations of their disease
GOLD IV: Very Severe - FEV1 < 30% predicted or FEV1 < 50% predicted plus chronic respiratory failure
Blood pH
7.35 - 7.45
Blood bicarbonate (HCO3-)
24 mEq/L (22-26 mEq/L)
PaO2
80-100 mm Hg
PaCO2
35-45 mm Hg
Horner’s Syndrome
miosis (constriction of the pupil), ptosis (drooping of the upper eyelid), and anhidrosis (absence of sweating of the face). It is caused by damage to the sympathetic nerves of the face.
Wallenberg’s Syndrome
lateral medullary syndrome; caused by a stroke in the vertebral or posterior inferior cerebellar artery of the brain stem. Symptoms include difficulties with swallowing, hoarseness, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, rapid involuntary movements of the eyes (nystagmus), and problems with balance and gait coordination. Some individuals will experience a lack of pain and temperature sensation on only one side of the face, or a pattern of symptoms on opposite sides of the body – such as paralysis or numbness in the right side of the face, with weak or numb limbs on the left side.
E-Stim: Hi-Volt pulsed monophasic current (used for what)
reduction of infection, promotion of granulation & epithelialization; the anode (+) is used over a silver dressing in the wound if infection is present; the current should pass through the wound for the greatest effect
Meningitis tests
Kernig’s sign: pain with hip flexion and knee extension
Brudzinski’s sign: stiffness of neck; flexion of neck facilitates flexion of hip and knees
Head-jolt test: turn head 2-3x per second, positive test is worsening of baseline headache
Bunnell-Littler Test
evaluates the source of PIP flexion motion limitation by differentiating between intrinsic muscle or capsular tightness in the affected digit; The MCP joint is held in an extended position and the therapist passively flexes the PIP making note of the available range. The test is then repeated with the MCP joint flexed. If no change in motion is detected between the two tests, then capsular restriction at the PIP joint is implicated. If the motion increases when the MCP joint is flexed, then lumbrical muscle tightness is implicated.
Stroke Volume (SV)
amount of blood ejected with each myocardial contraction; 55-100 mL/beat
Afterload
force the LV must generate during systole to overcome aortic pressure to open aortic valve; influences SV
Cardiac Output (CO)
amount of blood discharged from the L or R ventricle per minute; average adult, 4-5 L/min; CO = HR x SV
Ejection Fraction (EF)
percentage of blood emptied from the ventricle during systole; clinically useful measure of LV function; EF = SV/LV end diastolic volume
Myocardial Oxygen Demand (MVO2)
represents energy cost to the myocardium; measured by product of HR and SBP, known as Rate Pressure Product (RPP); MVO2 increases with activity and with HR and/or BP
Hypokalemia
decreased concentrations of blood potassium ions; produces flattened T waves, prolonged PR and QT intervals; arrhythmias, may progress to ventricular fibrillation
Hypermagnesium
increased magnesium is a calcium blocker which can lead to arrhythmias or cardiac arrest