In: Nursing
Frank Miller is a 44-year-old African American man.
Mr. Miller is hospitalized for neurologic evaluation after actively
seizing while in the emergency department.
1. What information should the nurse obtain from those
who observed the seizure?
2. Mr. Miller is started on phenytoin (Dilantin) 100
mg three times a day. His wife brings him back to the emergency
department 1 week later with complaints of slurred speech, ataxia,
lethargy, dizziness, and nausea. What might the symptoms Mr. Miller
is experiencing indicate?
3. What are some factors that may cause a patient to
experience phenytoin toxicity?
1. A proper history collection should be done from the bystander. The nurse should ask how was the patient behaviour before the epiosde, whether they have observed any mood change or any aura before the seizure. They should ask the time and date of seizure occurence.Any possible triggers like, time of the day., history of any missed medication,not eating regularly, not sleeping regularly etc, any intake of alochols or any other medicines. whether any changes noted while they saw the seizure episode for the patient.She should also check about the body parts involved, regarding the recovery period and how long it lasted.
2.These occurs as the side effects of having the phenytoin medication.
3.Phenytoin toxicity occurs beacuse of the change in daily dose of medication,malignancy, malnutrition,change in physiology,due to Stevens- johnson syndrome,toxic epidermal necrolysis,DRESS syndrome,chronic toxicity.