Sunday, February 22, 2015

Nursing Diagnosis

1. Risk for Injury related to: loss of consciousness during seizure activity and postical physical weakness.
  • Outcomes:
    • Describes precipitating seizure factors Avoids seizure triggers/risk factors.
    • Uses medications as prescribed.
    • Obtains medical attention immediately if seizure frequency increases.
    • Implements safety practices in environment.
  • Interventions:
    • Monitor compliance in taking antiseizure medications to determine risk for seizures.
    • Remove potentially harmful objects from the environment.
    • Keep suction, Ambu bag, oral or nasopharyngeal airway at bedside to maintain airway and oxygenation if needed.
    • Use padded side rails to prevent injury during a seizure.
    • Instruct patient to carry medication alert card to provide information in case of emergency.
    • Remain with patient during seizure to protect patient from injury.
    • Guide movements to prevent injury during a seizure.
    • Monitor neurological status to identify any deficits resulting from seizure.
    • Record seizure characteristics: body parts involved, motor activity, and seizure progression.
    • Monitor postictal period duration and characteristics to plan appropriate interventions as needed.

2. Ineffective airway clearance related to: blockage of the tongue, endotracheal,increased secretion of saliva
  • Outcomes:
    • Demonstrate effective coughing and clear breath sounds.
    • Maintain a patent airway at all times.
    • Undertake appropriate measures to prevent suffocation
  • Interventions:
    • Auscultate breath sounds every 1 to 4 hours
    • Monitor respiratory patterns, including rate, depth, and effort. Monitor blood gas values and pulse oxygen saturation levels as available.
    • Position person to optimize respirations: head of bed elevated 30-45 degrees
  • Teaching:
    • Instruct the person in the importance of reporting effectiveness of current medications to physician.

3. Ineffective breathing pattern related to: neuromuscular impairment, dyspnea and apnea
  • Outcomes:
    • Respiratory rate
    • Respiratory rhythm
    • Depth of inspiration
  • Interventions:
    • Monitor respiratory and oxygenation status to determine presence and extent of breathing problem and to initiate appropriate interventions.
    • Position patient (side-lying) to maximize ventilation potential and decrease risk of aspiration.
    • Identify patient requiring actual/potential airway insertion to facilitate intubation as necessary.
    • Perform endotracheal or nasotracheal suctioning to maintain airway.
    • Loosen clothing to prevent restricted breathing.
    • Apply oxygen as appropriate to maintain oxygenation and prevent hypoxia.
    • Monitor postictal period duration and characteristics because neurologic damage can affect postictal breathing pattern.

4. ineffective self-health management related to drug therapy and lifestyle adjustments.
  • Outcomes:
    • Knowledge of specific disease process
    • Precautions to prevent complications of disease
    • Available support groups
  • Interventions:
    • Appraise the patient’s current level of knowledge related to specific disease process to establish learning needs.
    • Discuss lifestyle changes (e.g., avoidance of precipitating factors, driving restrictions, wearing medical ID tags, moderation in drinking and eating, exposure to stress, and avoidance of hazardous activities) that may be required to prevent future complications and/ or control the disease process.
    • Discuss therapy/treatment options and describe rationale behind management/treatment options so patient and family can make lifestyle modifications to manage a chronic disease.

5. Risk for Ineffective cerebral Tissue Perfusion related to: decreased oxygen supply to the brain.
  • Outcomes:
    • Demonstrate appropriate orientation to person, place, time, and situation.
    • Demonstrate ability to follow simple commands.
    • Demonstrate equal bilateral motor strength.
    • Demonstrate adequate swallowing ability.
  • Interventions:
    • Maintain euvolemia.
    • Maintain head of bed flat or less than 30 degrees.

Sources:
Lewis, M.S., Dirksen, S., & Heitkemper, M.M. et al. (2014). Medical-surgical nursing: Assessment and management of clinical problems (9th ed.). St. Louis: Mosby. (LDH-9th)

Ladwig,G.B., Ackley, B.J., 2014 Mosby’s Guide to Nursing Diagnosis 4th ed.

Monday, February 16, 2015

Treatment

Epilepsy Treatment


The most common treatment for epilepsy is medication (antiseizure/antiepileptic drugs). Other options include surgery, vagus nerve stimulation, and diet changes. It is important to remember that none of these options cure epilepsy, as there is no cure, they merely mask the symptoms allowing people to live their lives as close to normal as possible. The goal of therapy is to prevent seizures with a minimum of side effects from therapy.


Medication:
The first step is to find the right medicine for each person. There are many medications available, your doctor will determine the right one for you depending on a number of factors. (1) type of seizure, (2) persons age and gender, (3) other medical problems, (4) possible pregnancy, (5) side effects. Once your type of medication is decided, make sure you understand how to take the medication (dose, time, special instructions, side effects, when to contact the doctor). Medications control seizures by stabilizing nerve cell membranes thus preventing the spread of chaotic discharges. While about 70% of people respond well to medications, others find no relief or find the side effects too bothersome. These people may benefit from other options.









Surgery:
For those whose epilepsy is not controlled by medication, surgical intervention to remove the epileptic focus or to prevent the spread of epileptic activity may be an alternative. The most common intervention being an anterior temporal lobe resection, Many people have success with this therapy, benefits include cessation or reduction in frequency of seizures. Surgical treatment can be especially helpful for people whose seizures result from structural brain problems (benign brain tumors, strokes, or malformations of blood vessels). Studies have shown that the earlier surgery is performed, the better the outcome. This is not for everyone, not all types of seizures benefit from surgery and an extensive preoperative evaluation must be done. To be a candidate for surgery patients must (1) have a confirmed diagnosis of epilepsy, (2) had an adequate trial with drug therapy with poor results, and (3) be tested for the type of seizures experienced. The benefits of surgery should be weighed carefully against its risks, because there is no guarantee that it will be successful.






Vagal Nerve Stimulation:
Vagal nerve stimulation is used in combination with medication when surgery is not an option. It is unclear how it works, however, it is thought to interrupt epileptic brain wave activity and stop excessive discharge of neurons. An electrode is surgically implanted into the neck and is programed to deliver an electrical impulse to the vagus nerve. If you feel a seizure coming on, you can activate the device with a magnet. Adverse effects of vagal nerve stimulation can include: coughing, hoarseness, shortness of breath, and tingling in the neck.






Ketogenic Diet:
The ketogenic diet began as an alternative therapy but has now been scientifically proven and is an option for some people with epilepsy. It is a special high-fat, low carbohydrate diet, people on this diet produce ketones which replace glucose as the energy source in the brain, While this option may be effective for some patients, long term effects are not clear. The diet may be a difficult lifestyle change since all foods need to be measured carefully and it is recommended to work with a dietitian.










Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Signs and symptoms

Epilepsy is characterized by the recurrence of seizures. Seizures are considered to be electrical storms in the brain. Anything that the brain does normally can also occur during a seizure. Seizures can take on many different forms, and seizures affect different people in different ways.
Seizures can be seen as having before, during, and after periods.

Before a seizure people may experience:
  • Dizziness or lightheadedness
  • Headaches
  • Nausea
  • Numbness/tingling

During a seizure the signs and symptoms depend on the area of the brain affected and the type of seizure.

Tonic-clonic seizures (grand mal):
  • loss of consciousness
  • falling to the ground if the person is upright.
  • convulsions characterized by total body stiffening
  • rhythmic jerking of the body.

Myoclonic seizures:
  • brief, sudden jerks due to rapid alternating contraction and relaxation of a muscle. These seizures cause abnormal movements on both sides of the body at the same time.

Atonic seizures (drop attacks):
  • brief seizures that cause an unexpected and rapid drop to the ground.
  • stiffening or sudden loss of muscle tone.

Absence seizures (petit mal):
  • staring spells without motor movements.
  • People tend to have a look of confusion and seem to be “out of it”.

Simple partial epileptic seizures: abnormal electrical discharge is confined to a small part of the brain. Symptoms reflect the part of the brain being affected, the can be motor, sensory, autonomic, or psychic. People experience normal awareness of their surroundings.

Complex partial epileptic seizures: are also confined to a particular area of the brain, but have spread enough that individuals experience an impaired level of awareness about their surroundings.

Other possible symptoms include:

  • Periods of forgetfulness or memory lapses
  • Distracted, daydreaming
  • Changes in hearing, smell, taste, and vision.
  • Difficulty talking
  • Unable to swallow, drooling
  • Lack of movement or muscle tone
  • Rigid or tense muscles
  • Losing control of urine or stool unexpectedly
  • Sweating
  • Change in skin color (looks pale or flushed)
  • Pupils may dilate or appear larger than normal
  • Biting of tongue (from teeth clenching when muscles tighten)
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Heart racing
After the seizure some people recover immediately while others may take minutes to hours to feel like their usual self. This recovery period is affected by the type of seizure and the part of the brain affected. After a seizure people may feel:
  • confused
  • tired
  • sore
  • memory loss
  • sleepy
  • lightheaded/dizzy
  • slow to respond
  • difficulty talking/writing
  • headache
  • Nausea/upset stomach
  • thirsty
  • weakness
Lewis, M.S., Dirksen, S., & Heitkemper, M.M. et al. (2014). Medical-surgical nursing: Assessment and management of clinical problems (9th ed.). St. Louis: Mosby. (LDH-9th) pg 1419-1421

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Diagnosis

If a person suspects they have epilepsy or believes they have had a seizure they should go to a primary care physician for evaluation, the doctor will take a history and may run some tests. The doctor may then refer the patient to a neurologist (doctor with special training in disorders of the brain). Diagnosing epilepsy can be difficult, many different types of information is needed to properly diagnose epilepsy. Your primary care provider will ask for a history, blood tests, EEG tests, and brain imaging tests such as CT or MRI scans.
History
The first thing a health care provider will do is take a history (interview). The provider will want a complete description of what happened (family members or witnesses to the seizure are encouraged to help). This will include not only the description of the seizure but also the events leading up to it and what happened after. A thorough exam of the person is conducted and several tests may be ordered. If there is enough information the provider may recommend/start treatment, or require further testing.

EEG:
To diagnose epilepsy an EEG (electroencephalogram/ brain wave test) is used to measure the electrical activity of the brain. Brain cells communicate with each other by producing electrical signals (impulses), an EEG measures this activity. EEG tests are very safe, they require flashing lights or fast breathing that may trigger seizures in those with epilepsy. However, the health care provider performing the EEG is trained to take care of the person if they experience a seizure.

Sources: