11-18-2007, 02:00 PM
A 47-year-old woman is brought to the emergency
department by
her husband because of hallucinations and agitation
for 6 hours. She has
a 10-year history of alcoholism. Her last alcoholic
drink was 48 hours
ago. She is agitated and inattentive. Her
temperature is 38.3 C (101
F), blood pressure is 190/120 mm Hg, and pulse is
110/min. She is
oriented to person but not to place or time. During
the examination, she
shrieks, "Make the lizards go away." Which of the
following is the most
appropriate initial step in management?
A
) Electroencephalography
B
) CT scan of the head
C
) Intravenous ampicillin therapy
D
) Intravenous haloperidol therapy
E
) Intravenous lorazepam therapy
department by
her husband because of hallucinations and agitation
for 6 hours. She has
a 10-year history of alcoholism. Her last alcoholic
drink was 48 hours
ago. She is agitated and inattentive. Her
temperature is 38.3 C (101
F), blood pressure is 190/120 mm Hg, and pulse is
110/min. She is
oriented to person but not to place or time. During
the examination, she
shrieks, "Make the lizards go away." Which of the
following is the most
appropriate initial step in management?
A
) Electroencephalography
B
) CT scan of the head
C
) Intravenous ampicillin therapy
D
) Intravenous haloperidol therapy
E
) Intravenous lorazepam therapy