The nurse is caring for a school-age client who will be discharged from the hospital after receiving a ventriculoperitoneal (VP)shunt as treatment for increased intracranial pressure (IICP). The nurse has taught the parents to monitor the child for shunt malfunction. Which statement by the parents regarding when to notify the healthcare provider indicates that learning goals have been met?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A)An altered level of consciousness would be a symptom of shunt malfunction and increasing intracranial pressure. Because the bones in the skull have not yet fused, an infant with IICP may have bulging fontanels, separated sutures on the skull, drowsiness, or vomiting. In most children by age 8, the cranial suture lines have fused and the fontanels are closed, so a bulging soft spot and expanding head size would not be common symptoms of shunt malfunction and an increase in intracranial pressure. In children, and as ICP increases in infants, the signs and symptoms of IICP present similarly to adults. Examination may reveal headaches, weakness, eye movement disturbances, behavioral changes, decreased level of consciousness (LOC), or seizures.
B)An altered level of consciousness would be a symptom of shunt malfunction and increasing intracranial pressure. Because the bones in the skull have not yet fused, an infant with IICP may have bulging fontanels, separated sutures on the skull, drowsiness, or vomiting. In most children by age 8, the cranial suture lines have fused and the fontanels are closed, so a bulging soft spot and expanding head size would not be common symptoms of shunt malfunction and an increase in intracranial pressure. In children, and as ICP increases in infants, the signs and symptoms of IICP present similarly to adults. Examination may reveal headaches, weakness, eye movement disturbances, behavioral changes, decreased level of consciousness (LOC), or seizures.
C)An altered level of consciousness would be a symptom of shunt malfunction and increasing intracranial pressure. Because the bones in the skull have not yet fused, an infant with IICP may have bulging fontanels, separated sutures on the skull, drowsiness, or vomiting. In most children by age 8, the cranial suture lines have fused and the fontanels are closed, so a bulging soft spot and expanding head size would not be common symptoms of shunt malfunction and an increase in intracranial pressure. In children, and as ICP increases in infants, the signs and symptoms of IICP present similarly to adults. Examination may reveal headaches, weakness, eye movement disturbances, behavioral changes, decreased level of consciousness (LOC), or seizures.
D)An altered level of consciousness would be a symptom of shunt malfunction and increasing intracranial pressure. Because the bones in the skull have not yet fused, an infant with IICP may have bulging fontanels, separated sutures on the skull, drowsiness, or vomiting. In most children by age 8, the cranial suture lines have fused and the fontanels are closed, so a bulging soft spot and expanding head size would not be common symptoms of shunt malfunction and an increase in intracranial pressure. In children, and as ICP increases in infants, the signs and symptoms of IICP present similarly to adults. Examination may reveal headaches, weakness, eye movement disturbances, behavioral changes, decreased level of consciousness (LOC), or seizures.

The Nurse Is Caring for a School-Age Client Who Will