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There is a whole array of symptoms that fall under this category.The point of this phrase is it gives us a quick way to say that something new is going on with the patient that affects brain function. Keep in mind that you have to know the patient well enough to know that his symptoms are not normal ("baseline" in medical terms) to him.
You can say that someone has altered mental status if he exhibits any of these, or exhibits them more intensely than normal to him:
-Confusion
-Reducedalertness
-Delusions
-Reduced emotional control
-Impaired judgement
-Disruptive behavior changes
-Reduced coordination
You may have someone with baseline dementia who normally doesn't know where he is, and that is not altered mental status for him. But then he gets a urinary tract infection that affects his thinking even more than usual, is more agitated, confused, unable to do what he normally does, and therefore now we would report that he has altered mental status and this leads medical staff to start looking for changes in his health that can affect the brain.
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What is the earliest sign of increased intracranial pressure?
The earliest sign of increased intracranial pressure is often a headache that is worse in the morning, and improves throughout the day when in an upright position. Other early signs can include nausea and vomiting, changes in vision, and altered mental status.
Victims of shock usually experience the following altered mental status?
Anxiety, restlessness, altered conciousness physical signs: pale, moist skin, blueish, rapid breathing
What is aeiou?
A - AlcoholE - EnvironmentI - InfectionO - OverdoseU - UnderdoseT - TraumaI - InsulinP - PsychosisS - SeizuresThere are more than this, but these are the major things that can cause an altered mental status.
What is AEIOU mnemonic?
A - AlcoholE - EnvironmentI - InfectionO - OverdoseU - UnderdoseT - TraumaI - InsulinP - PsychosisS - SeizuresThere are more than this, but these are the major things that can cause an altered mental status.
What are some signs and symptoms of an open chest wound?
S/S include but are not limited to: obvious bleeding, air escaping from wound, atypical chest movement, bradycardia,altered mental status
What is a cool username with mental in it?
Mental name and Mental status are both cool user names with the word mental in the name.
What is the importance of appropriate airway management in a patient with an altered mental status?
If a person has an altered mental state, they could be poisoned, suffering brain injury, hypoglycemic, drugged, suffering lung problems, or suffering any of various other illnesses. So you have to make sure their breathing and heart rate are stable to help buy time to diagnose the underlying problems. If a person is drugged or intoxicated and unconscious, they could aspirate their own vomit. That could lead to pneumonia or suffocation. Or they could smother. Also, it is possible that whatever is causing an altered mental state may also cause breathing difficulties.
What terms means condition of change?
change in mental status
The emotional complex associated with an idea or mental status?
Answer is: Affect
What are the test for mini-mental status exam?
Reciting the alphabet
The six dimensions of health in terms of a personal assessment of your status?
physical social mental emotional mental environmental
How serious is a 103.2 fever in an 11 year old?
That depends entirely on the cause of the fever. Usually it is from a virus and not serious at all. If signs of a more serious infection such as specific pains, altered mental status, rashes, difficulty breathing or dehydration are present then it should be evaluated.
