Clinical Manifestations of Increased Intracranial Pressure

What is the earliest indicator of neurologic status and brain activity?

Level of Consciousness (LOC)

What happens to the patient's level of consciousness when the patient's intracranial pressure increases?

Increases or decreases?

Decreases

What happens to the patient's blood pressure when the patient's intracranial pressure increases?

Systolic hypertension or systolic hypotension?

Systolic hypertension

What happens to the patient's respiratory pattern when the patient's intracranial pressure increases?

Regular or irregular?

Irregular

What happens to the patient's heart rate when the patient's intracranial pressure increases?

Tachycardia or bradycardia

Bradycardia

What happens to the patient's level of consciousness when the patient's intracranial pressure increases?

Increases or decreases?

Deep unconsciousness with no response to stimuli.

What happens to the patient's body temperature when the patient's intracranial pressure increases?

Stable or unstable?

Unstable

What happens to the patient's pupils when the patient's intracranial pressure increases?

Dilated or constricted?

Dilated

What cranial nerve is mainly affected resulting to eye problems when the patient's intracranial pressure increases?

Cranial nerve III or Cranial nerve XII?

Cranial nerve III

What kind of hemiparesis or hemiplegia happens when the patient's intracranial pressure increases?

Ipsilateral or contralateral?

Contralateral

What kind of vomiting happens when the patient's intracranial pressure increases?

Projectile or non-projectile?

Projectile

Which finding will indicate a more serious brain damage related to the patient's intracranial pressure increasing?

Decorticate or decerebrate?

Decerebrate

What time of the day is the patient's headache much worse when the patient's intracranial pressure increases?

In the morning or in the evening?

In the morning

In this position, the arms are stiffly extended, adducted, and hyperpronated. There is also hyperextension of the legs with plantar flexion of the feet.

Decorticate or decerebrate?

Decerebrate

This posture consists of internal rotation and adduction of the arms with

flexion of the elbows, wrists, and fingers as a result of interruption of voluntary motor tracts in the cerebral cortex.

Decorticate