Neurological Emergencies Flashcards

Which component is NOT part of the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)?

Answer: Pupil reactivity

The GCS assesses eye opening, verbal response, and motor response only; pupil reactivity is assessed separately.

A patient presents with sudden facial drooping on the right side, right arm weakness, and slurred speech. Which mnemonic best helps identify this as a stroke?

Answer: FAST

FAST (Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, Time to call) is the primary stroke recognition tool used in pre-hospital care.

A patient is in active tonic-clonic seizure lasting more than 5 minutes. What is the first-line pre-hospital treatment?

Answer: IM/IV midazolam or IV diazepam

Benzodiazepines (midazolam IM or diazepam IV) are the first-line treatment for status epilepticus in the pre-hospital setting.

A 60-year-old male presents with sudden-onset confusion, diaphoresis, and focal weakness. Blood glucose reads 2.1 mmol/L. What is the priority intervention?

Answer: Administer IV dextrose 50% or glucagon IM

Hypoglycemia can mimic stroke; with a glucose of 2.1 mmol/L, correcting hypoglycemia with dextrose or glucagon is the priority before any stroke workup.

Which of the following best describes a Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA)?

Answer: A neurological deficit that resolves completely within 24 hours without infarction

A TIA is a temporary episode of neurological dysfunction caused by focal brain ischaemia that resolves completely, typically within minutes to hours, with no evidence of infarction.

A postictal patient is unresponsive but breathing adequately. What is the most appropriate position?

Answer: Recovery (lateral) position

The recovery (lateral) position protects the airway from aspiration and maintains airway patency in a breathing but unresponsive postictal patient.

When assessing spinal cord injury in the field, which finding suggests a complete spinal cord injury at the cervical level?

Answer: Tetraplegia with loss of sensation in all four limbs

Tetraplegia (all four limbs affected) with sensory loss is consistent with a complete cervical spinal cord injury, as the cervical cord controls upper and lower limb function.