Midterm Exam: NR572 / NR 572
(Latest Update 2024 / 2025) Advanced Acute Care Management | Questions & Answers | 100% Correct | Grade A - Chamberlain
Question:
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
Answer:
degenerative disorder of motor neurons in the spinal cord and brainstem
Question:
ALS risk factors
Answer:
-Age -Autoimmune disease -Environmental exposures to toxins -Family history -Smoking -Viral infections 1 / 4
Question:
ALS physical exam findings
Answer:
-dysarthria -Hyper- or hyporeflexia -fasciculations -clonus -spasticity -Muscular atrophy -foot drop -presence of abnormal reflexes, including Hoffman, Babinski, or Chaddock signs
Question:
Hoffman's sign
Answer:
Provider flicks the middle fingernail while the patient holds their arm out with their palm down and fingers extended.
Positive: Thumb or index finger flexes after the flick
Negative: no movement after the flick
A positive result could indicate cervical spinal cord compression 2 / 4
Question:
Chaddock Reflex/Sign
Answer:
Evaluates for an upper motor neuron lesion
Provider strokes just distal to the lateral malleolus along the lateral side of the foot and a response normally would be nothing (negative)
Positive= flared toes with dorsiflexion
Question:
Clinical features of ALS (Subjective)
Answer:
Clinical feature stemmed from the loss of dysfunction of upper and lower motor neurons
Symptoms tend to be related (stiffness, weakness, cramping) without sensory or pain complaints.
Typically do not have pain, numbness, tingling
Weakness in arms or hands (cervical) Weakness in legs or ankles (thoracic) Dysphasia, dysphagia, drooling (craniobulbar) 3 / 4
Dyspnea, orthopnea, weak cough, excessive daytime, sleepiness, risk of aspiration (respiratory)
Attention deficit, concentration issues, memory impairment (cognitive impairment)
Question:
ALS ddx
Answer:
-GBS -myasthenia gravis -multiple sclerosis -Brain stem lesion -Cervical myopathy due to compressive factors (stenosis, disc herniation, etc.) -polymyositis
Question:
Gold Coast Criteria
Answer:
For the diagnosis of ALS
- / 4