When the nurse applies a painful stimulus to an unconscious patient,the patient responds by stiffly extending and abducting the arms and hyperpronating the wrists.How should the nurse interpret this finding?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The described response is characteristic of decerebrate posturing, which indicates a disruption of motor fibers in the midbrain and brainstem, rather than an interruption of voluntary motor tracts. This type of posturing is a more severe sign of brain injury compared to decorticate posturing.

When the Nurse Applies a Painful Stimulus to an Unconscious