A patient has been experiencing drowsiness, confusion, and slight focal deficits for 3 days.The CT report findings are negative.The patient is being prepared for a lumbar puncture.The nurse anticipates that the CSF would appear
A) cloudy.
B) bloody.
C) xanthochromic.
D) clear.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

If the initial computed tomography findings are negative, a lumbar puncture is performed to obtain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)for analysis.CSF after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH)appears bloody and has a red blood cell count greater than 1000 cells/mm³.If the lumbar puncture is performed more than 5 days after the SAH, the CSF fluid is xanthochromic (dark amber)because the blood products have broken down.Cloudy CSF usually indicates some type of infectious process such as bacterial meningitis, not SAH.

A Patient Has Been Experiencing Drowsiness, Confusion, and Slight Focal