Question

The nurse assesses a comatose head-injured patient and finds flexion of the arms, wrists, and fingers and adduction of the upper extremities. How can the findings be described?

a) Stroke
b) Epileptic seizure
c) Decorticate posturing
d) Decerebrate posturing

Answer 1

The findings of flexion of the arms, wrists, and fingers, and adduction of the upper extremities in a comatose patient indicate Decorticate posturing, a sign of severe brain injury above the level of the brainstem.

Step-by-step explanation:

The nurse's assessment of the comatose head-injured patient showing flexion of the arms, wrists, and fingers, and adduction of the upper extremities, is indicative of Decorticate posturing. This type of posturing is a sign of a severe brain injury, where the damage occurs above the brainstem in the corticospinal tracts. Decorticate posture is characterized by the patient having arms flexed or bent inward on the chest, the wrists and fingers bent and held on the chest, and the legs extended and feet turned inward. On the contrary, Decerebrate posturing involves extension of the arms and legs, pronation of the arms, and unresponsiveness to stimuli which reflect more severe damage at the level of the midbrain or lesions in the brainstem.