Medical-surgical Nursing Demystified

(Sean Pound) #1

(^254) Medical-Surgical Nursing Demystified
TREATMENT
If there is an underlying condition causing the disorder, removal of this condition
will often result in resolution of the disorder. The patient with a primary seizure
disorder will typically be managed with anticonvulsant medications. Some patients
will need multi-drug regimens to adequately control the seizure disorder. Patients
who do not respond to multiple antiepileptic drugs may be candidates for surgical
intervention.



  • Administer antiepileptic medications:

    • carbamazepine

    • phenytoin

    • phenobarbital

    • clonazepam

    • valproic acid

    • lamotrigine

    • gabapentin

    • levetiracetam

    • oxcarbazepine

    • primidone

    • tiagabine

    • topiramate



  • Seizure precautions per institution.

  • Maintain IV access with saline lock if no intravenous fluids needed for hos-
    pitalized patients.

  • Surgery to remove seizure focal area or sever the connection between the cere-
    bral hemispheres (corpus callostomy) to limit the amount of seizure activity
    for patients who do not have adequate control of seizures with medications.

  • Vagal nerve stimulation where there is implantation of an electrical device
    that provides a predetermined pattern of vagal stimulation. This is used to
    decrease the frequency of seizures.


NURSING DIAGNOSES



  • Risk for ineffective breathing pattern or airway clearance

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