Following a motor vehicle accident 3 months prior, a 20-year-old ...

[pane00]

Following a motor vehicle accident 3 months prior, a 20-year-old female who has been in a coma since her accident has now had her condition declared a persistent vegetative state.
 
  How can her care providers most accurately explain an aspect of her situation to her parents?
  A)
  Your daughter has lost all her cognitive functions as well as all her basic reflexes.
  B)
  Though she still goes through a cycle of sleeping and waking, her condition is unlikely to change.
  C)
  If you or the care team notices any spontaneous eye opening, then we will change our treatment plan.
  D)
  Your daughter's condition is an unfortunate combination with total loss of consciousness but continuation of all other normal brain functions.

Question 2

A patient is asked to stand with feet together, eyes open, and hands by the sides. Then the patient is asked to close his eyes while the nurse observes for a full minute. What assessment is the nurse performing?
 
  A)
  Segmental reflex
  B)
  Posture
  C)
  Proprioception
  D)
  Crossed-extensor reflex

[abctaiwan]

Answer to Question 1

Ans:
B

Feedback:

A continuation of the sleep-wake cycle can exist in a persistent vegetative state. Reflexes often remain, as does spontaneous eye opening. Aspects of brain function beyond those governing consciousness are affected.

Answer to Question 2

Ans:
C

Feedback:

Information from the sensory afferents is relayed to the cerebellum and cerebral cortex and is experienced as proprioception or the sense of body movement and position independent of vision. The knee-jerk reflex is a form of stretch reflex. The crossed-extensor reflex serves to integrate motor movements, so they function in a coordinated manner.

[pane00]

TYSM

[Kedrick2014]

Excellent