Final answer:
The medulla oblongata is responsible for regulating vital functions including the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, and when compromised by increased intracranial pressure, it can produce Cheyne-Stokes respirations along with increasing blood pressure and a decreasing pulse rate, suggesting a brain injury at this level.
Step-by-step explanation:
You suspect your unconscious adult trauma patient may have increased intracranial pressure from a closed head injury. If this patient is exhibiting Cheyne-Stokes respirations—an abnormal pattern of breathing characterized by progressively deeper, sometimes faster breathing followed by a gradual decrease that results in a temporary stop in breathing—and presents with increasing blood pressure alongside a decreasing pulse rate, these are signs that point toward compression of the brain regions responsible for cardiovascular and respiratory control. The correct answer would be C. Medulla oblongata. This condition, known as Cushing's triad, illustrates a brain injury at the level of the medulla oblongata, which is the region of the brainstem that regulates vital functions such as heart rate and respiration. The medulla oblongata contains the respiratory centers that are responsible for controlling the rate and depth of respiration, primarily in response to levels of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the blood. A rise in CO₂ levels triggers a response by central chemoreceptors in the medulla oblongata leading to an increase in respiration rate and depth, in an attempt to expel more CO₂ out of the body.