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Med-Surg: Your Ultimate Study Guide

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Ace your medical-surgical exams with these comprehensive study notes! Covering everything from the nervous system to the genitourinary system, this resource is packed with key concepts, detailed explanations, and helpful mnemonics. Perfect for students and professionals alike, this guide will boost your confidence and prepare you for success. Download now and start mastering medical-surgical nursing!

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Medical-Surgical Nursing ▪ Afferent (sensory): Receptors to
CNS
Created by: its_nikkii
▪ Efferent (motor): CNS to
Nervous System muscles/glands
▪ Interneurons: Connect afferent &
• Functional Unit: Neuron (nerve cell) efferent
• Divisions:
o Central Nervous System (CNS): Properties:
Brain & Spinal Cord (connects brain ▪ Excitability, Conductibility,
& periphery) Permanent (no regeneration)
o Peripheral Nervous System (PNS):
▪ Cranial Nerves (12 pairs): To/from Neuroglia: Support & protect neurons
brain Types:
▪ Spinal Nerves (31 pairs): To/from
spinal cord ▪ Astrocytes: Blood-brain barrier
o Autonomic Nervous System (ANS): ▪ Oligodendria: Myelin in CNS
Involuntary control (e.g., breathing, ▪ Microglia: Phagocytosis
heartbeat). Part of PNS. ▪ Ependymal: Secrete
▪ Sympathetic: "Fight or flight" chemoattractants
(accelerates functions, except GIT) Brain:
▪ Parasympathetic: "Rest and digest"
(normal functioning, increases GIT) o Composition: 80% brain mass, 10%
blood, 10% CSF
Cells:
Parts:
Neurons:
1. Cerebrum: Largest, integration,
▪ Components: Cell body (gray sensory, motor. Lobes:
matter), axon, dendrites ▪ Frontal: Personality, behavior, motor
▪ Axon: Transmits impulses away (precentral gyrus), speech (Broca's
from cell body area)
▪ Dendrites: Receive impulses, ▪ Temporal: Hearing, taste, smell,
conduct towards cell body short-term memory, sensory speech
▪ Synapse: Junction between neurons (Wernicke's area)
▪ Neurotransmitter: Chemical (e.g., ▪ Parietal: Sensory integration
acetylcholine, norepinephrine) for (postcentral gyrus)
impulse transmission ▪ Occipital: Vision
▪ Myelin Sheath: Insulates nerve 2. Diencephalon: Thalamus (relay),
fibers, speeds conduction Hypothalamus (BP, thirst, appetite,
temp, pituitary control)
3. Midbrain: Sight & hearing relay

Functional Classification:

, 4. Brain Stem: Midbrain, pons, medulla Neurological Exam:
oblongata. Vital centers (respiratory,
• LOC: Orientation, speech, command
vasomotor, cardiac)
following, response to pain,
5. Cerebellum: Balance, coordination
posturing (decorticate, decerebrate)
Spinal Cord: • Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS): Eye
o Connects brain & periphery opening, verbal response, motor
o Gray matter (cell bodies) & white response (Score: 15-14 Conscious,
matter (nerve tracts) 13-11 Lethargy, 10-8 Stupor, 7
o Ascending (sensory) & Descending Coma, 3 Deep Coma)
(motor) tracts • Pupillary Reaction: Size, shape,
o Reflex Arc: Sensory receptor, equality, light response
afferent pathway, interneuron, • Motor Function: Strength, movement
efferent pathway, effector • Vital Signs: Respiratory patterns
(Cheyne-Stokes, etc.)
Supporting Structures: Skull, Spinal
• Cranial Nerve Assessment
Column, Meninges (dura, arachnoid, pia),
• Cerebellar Function: Balance,
Ventricles (CSF production), CSF
coordination (Romberg's test)
(protection, nutrients), Vascular Supply,
Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) • Sensory Function: Touch, pain,
temperature, vibration
Peripheral Nervous System: • Reflexes: Deep tendon, superficial,
• Spinal Nerves: 31 pairs pathologic (Babinski)
(dorsal/sensory, ventral/motor roots) Vision & Hearing
• Cranial Nerves: 12 pairs (sensory,
motor, or mixed functions) Vision:

Autonomic Nervous System: • Physiological Processes: Refraction,
Accommodation,
• Involuntary control of smooth Constriction/Dilation, Convergence.
muscle, cardiac muscle, glands
• Sympathetic (adrenergic): "Fight or Refraction Errors:
flight" (norepinephrine). Dilates • Myopia (nearsighted): Biconcave
pupils (mydriasis), increases HR/BP, lens
bronchodilation, decreases GIT. • Hyperopia (farsighted): Biconvex
• Parasympathetic (cholinergic): "Rest lens
and digest" (acetylcholine). • Astigmatism: Cylindrical lens
Constricts pupils (miosis), decreases
• Presbyopia: Bifocal lens
HR/BP, bronchoconstriction,
• Glaucoma: Increased IOP (Normal:
increases GIT.
12-21 mmHg). Preventable, not
curable.
• Open-angle: Gradual vision loss.

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