Question

A patient with a history of seizure activity experiences a few seconds of loss of consciousness with blank staring. During the brief episode, the patient also exhibits lip-smacking. The nurse correctly classifies this as which seizure type?

a) Absence seizure
b) Simple partial seizure
c) Tonic-clonic seizure
d) Myoclonic seizure

Answer 1

A patient with a history of seizure activity who has brief unconsciousness and lip-smacking is likely experiencing an absence seizure, which involves sudden lapses in consciousness and can display subtle movements.

Step-by-step explanation:

The patient who experiences a few seconds of loss of consciousness with blank staring, accompanied by lip-smacking, is most likely having an absence seizure. Absence seizures are characterized by brief, sudden lapses in attention and consciousness. During these seizures, other symptoms such as slight movements such as blinking or lip-smacking can occur. They are most common in children and can occur many times a day without being immediately obvious to onlookers. Other types of seizures could exhibit more severe muscle contractions or different symptoms, but the brief lapse in consciousness with subtle movements suggests an absence seizure. Seizures can be controlled by anticonvulsant medications, and children may sometimes outgrow epilepsy as they reach adulthood.