01-14-2010, 09:27 AM
An 82-year-old woman is admitted to the surgical
ward after suffering a fracture of her right hip due
to a fall down her stairs. Her surgery and recovery
are uneventful, but 3 days later, the nurses are frustrated
when she does not let them take her vitals or
draw blood. On interview, she exhibits drowsiness
with occasional agitation. She is unable to answer
questions well and is oriented only to person. She
also picks at the empty air and begins yelling and
swinging at the nurse who is present.
An electroencephalogram (EEG) performed on
this patient would most likely show which of
the following?
(A) diffuse slowing
(B) localized spikes
© low-voltage fast activity
(D) random activity
(E) triphasic delta waves
ward after suffering a fracture of her right hip due
to a fall down her stairs. Her surgery and recovery
are uneventful, but 3 days later, the nurses are frustrated
when she does not let them take her vitals or
draw blood. On interview, she exhibits drowsiness
with occasional agitation. She is unable to answer
questions well and is oriented only to person. She
also picks at the empty air and begins yelling and
swinging at the nurse who is present.
An electroencephalogram (EEG) performed on
this patient would most likely show which of
the following?
(A) diffuse slowing
(B) localized spikes
© low-voltage fast activity
(D) random activity
(E) triphasic delta waves