A 47 y/o executive is speaking with his secretary about a meeting scheduled for the next day and suddenly slumps in his chair and is unable to speak. The secretary immediately calls 911 and the patient is transported immediately to the ED. He is having trouble speaking and is also having some visual irregularities. He has recently been told he has high cholesterol and is also being treated for high blood pressure and GERD.
Patient history includes:
Works 16 hours a day and last vacation was 3 years ago
Drinks 4-6 cups of coffee daily
Smokes 10-20 cigarettes a day depending on how stressful his day is
Used to exercise, but “now is too busy”
Eats most meals out daily.
The ED physician suspects that the patient The nurse is teaching the patient about the following tests and the patient is asking why each one is ordered. Using your book, explain to the patient why each of these diagnostic tests has been ordered. Which one should be completed first and why?
CT scan of the head without contrast
Echocardiogram
MRI of the brain
MRA of the brain
