A patient has been taking phenytoin (Dilantin) for 2 years. Which ...

[crobinson2013]

A patient has been taking phenytoin (Dilantin) for 2 years. Which action will the nurse take when evaluating for adverse effects of the medication?
 
  a. Inspect the oral mucosa.
  b. Listen to the lung sounds.
  c. Auscultate the bowel tones.
  d. Check pupil reaction to light.

Question 2

A patient reports feeling numbness and tingling of the left arm before experiencing a tonic-clonic seizure. The nurse determines that this history is consistent with what type of seizure?
 
  a. Focal
  b. Atonic
  c. Absence
  d. Myoclonic

[briezy]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: A
Phenytoin can cause gingival hyperplasia, but does not affect bowel tones, lung sounds, or pupil reaction to light.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: A
The initial symptoms of a focal seizure involve clinical manifestations that are localized to a particular part of the body or brain. Symptoms of an absence seizure are staring and a brief loss of consciousness. In an atonic seizure, the patient loses muscle tone and (typically) falls to the ground. Myoclonic seizures are characterized by a sudden jerk of the body or extremities.