Question

"You are on-scene with an unconscious 23-year-old male who has a possible closed head injury after a motorcycle accident. During your assessment, you determine the patient's blood pressure is elevated, his heart rate is slow, his pupils are reactive, and he is exhibiting Cheyne-Stokes type respirations. The patient reacts only to painful stimuli.

Your assessment findings lead you to believe there is damage in what area of the brain?

A) Frontal lobe
B) Midbrain region
C) Medulla oblongata
D) Brainstem"

Answer 1

The symptoms of elevated blood pressure, slow heart rate, reactive pupils, and Cheyne-Stokes respirations suggest damage to the brainstem, likely affecting the medulla oblongata, which controls vital autonomic functions.

Step-by-step explanation:

Based on the assessment findings provided - elevated blood pressure, slow heart rate, reactive pupils, Cheyne-Stokes respirations, and a response only to painful stimuli - it can be deduced that there is damage in the brainstem area of the central nervous system. The brainstem is responsible for controlling many basic life functions, including heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing patterns. The symptoms described can be attributed to dysfunction in the lower part of the brainstem, possibly the medulla oblongata, which is where the cardiovascular and respiratory centers are located and where such autonomic functions are regulated.