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Assessment and Management of Unconscious Patient

1. A thorough physical examination should be performed head to toe to check for any injuries and assess cerebral function by evaluating mental status, cranial nerves, motor system, and reflexes. 2. Assessment of airway, breathing, circulation, blood glucose, pupil size and reactivity is important to identify and treat any life-threatening issues like hypoglycemia. 3. Management includes calculating a Glasgow Coma Scale score, providing supportive care and critical care if needed, and performing a CT scan if the diagnosis is unclear or there is suspicion of an acute neurological event to guide specific treatment.

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111 views10 pages

Assessment and Management of Unconscious Patient

1. A thorough physical examination should be performed head to toe to check for any injuries and assess cerebral function by evaluating mental status, cranial nerves, motor system, and reflexes. 2. Assessment of airway, breathing, circulation, blood glucose, pupil size and reactivity is important to identify and treat any life-threatening issues like hypoglycemia. 3. Management includes calculating a Glasgow Coma Scale score, providing supportive care and critical care if needed, and performing a CT scan if the diagnosis is unclear or there is suspicion of an acute neurological event to guide specific treatment.

Uploaded by

Debasis Sahoo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ASSESSMENT AND

MANAGEMENT OF
UNCONSCIOUS PATIENT
NURSING FOUNDATION.
NURSING ASSESSMENT
PHYSICAL EXAMINATION;
Head to toe examination should be done. A thorough examination must be done not only to determine whether any injuries are
present such as bruises, lacerations, fractured bone or visceral injuries

ASSESING CREBRAL FUNCTUION;


A) MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL STATUS > To ensure an objective assessment , consider a
patients cultural and educational background. Values beliefs and previous experiences. An alteration in
mental and emotional status reflects a disturbance in cerebral function
ASSESSMENT

EXAMINATION OF THE CRANIAL NERVES;


1. OLFACTORY (I) : Sensory, smell – Ask the patient to
identify aromatic odor. If the patient can perceive smell,
consider nerve function normal Anosmia (inability to smell)
occurs in basal skull fracture or in olfactory skull tumors.
2. OPTIC(ii) : Sensory, vision – Do the physical inspection
of the eye for any pathological change . Test visual acuity ,
visual field and fundus . Defcits due to problems in the
eyes , brain or nerve path way
• EXAMINING THE MOTOR SYSTEM :
• MOTOR RESPONSE: 1.Spontaneous purposeful movement.
2.Asymmetric response : In hemiplegia or paraplegia.
ASSESSMENT
3. Absent motor response: In coma.
4.Abnormal posturing ; ( decoricate posturing)
REFLEXES AND FLEXION
• FLEXION : It is the action of bending or the condition of the being bent , especially the
bending of limb or joint.
ASSESSMENT
EXAMINING THE REFLEXES:
1 . TRICEPS REFLEXES: Partially flex the
patient’s arm at the elbow and rest the forearm
over the thighs , placing the palm of the hand
down , place the

thumb of your non dominant


hand horizontally over the biceps tendon. Deliver
a blow (slight downward thrust) with percussion
harmer to your thumb.

2 BICEP REFLEXES: Flex the patient’s arm the


elbow and support it in the palm of your non –
dominant hand . Palpate the triceps tendon about
2-5 cm above the elbow. Deliver ablow with the
percussion hammer directly to the tendon.
ASSESSMENT

PATELLAR RFLEXES:
Ask the patient to sit on the edge of the
examining table so that the legs hang freely .
Locate the patellar tendons directly bellow the
patella . Deliver a blow with the percussion
hammer directly to the tendons.
MANAGEMENT OF
UNCONSCIOUS PATIENT

Calculate Glasgow coma scale score


Assess ABC( Airway, Breathing, check blood glucose check pupil size If hypoglycemia – treat with iv glucose .
Circulation) immobilize cervical spine if and reactivity.
trauma suspected.

Initiate supportive care including critical


care if appropriate If diagnosis unclear or clinical evidence
And of acute structural neurological event
perform CT scan
Initiate specific therapy if diagnosis
confirmed strong clinical suspicion for
emipirical treatment
COMPLICATIONS
1. Respiratory distress or failure.
2.Pneumonia
3.Pressure ulcer
4.aspiration
5. Deep vein thrombosis.
6.Contracts
7. Urinary retention or incontinence.
CARE OF PATIENT WITH
UNCONSCIOUSNESS

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