Question

A client with a history of seizures is admitted with a partial occlusion of the left common carotid artery. the client has been taking phenytoin for 10 years. when planning care for this client, what should the nurse do first? 1 place an airway and restraints at the bedside. 2 obtain a history of seizure type and incidence. 3 ask the client to remove any dentures and eyeglasses. 4 observe the client for increased restlessness and agitation.

Answer 1

The correct answer is to obtain a thorough history of the seizure type and incidence. The patient is already taking phenytoin for 10 years so there must be an underlying seizure disorder. The type of the seizure (absence, tonic-clonic, etc.) should be characterized as this will affect the management of the patient. Placing an airway in a patient without respiratory distress is unnecessary and may even produce traumatic injury to the patient. Asking to remove dentures and eyeglasses is also unnecessary.