Florida State College at Jacksonville FSCJ Online HSC1531: Medical Terminology (for Health Professions) Module 12: Nervous System - Case Study Assignment:

Florida State College at Jacksonville FSCJ Online HSC1531: Medical Terminology (for Health Professions) Module 12: Nervous System - Case Study Assignment:

The Case of the Man with the Weak Arm The Case of the Man with the Weak Arm Albert, a seventy-two-year old African-American man, is brought into the emergency room by his daughter. Approximately 45 minutes before arriving, Albert dropped his book when his right arm and hand "fell asleep". When he tried to rise, he noticed his right leg was weak and he needed to hold onto the couch to stand up. He had a difficult time talking because the right side of his face and mouth were "numb" and his tongue felt "thick". In obtaining a medical and family history it was noted that Albert has smoked at least 1 pack of cigarettes per day for the last 40 years and both of his parents died of strokes when they were in their mid-sixties. He has previously been diagnosed with bothessential hypertensionand hypercholesterolemia. He admits to "skipping" his antihypertensive medication because of the unpleasant side effects it causes. Albert notes that he has been experiencing short (5 – 10 minutes) incidences of weakness on his right side, but he attributed this to the position he was in, causing his arm or leg to "fall asleep". He has also noticed that he is having mild headaches, but recently, these have been less frequent. Physical examination indicated that Albert was alert and anxious, but his speech was slurred. He wasafebrile, had a respiratory rate of 16 breaths per minute, a regular heart rate of 86 beats per minute and a blood pressure of 190/120 mm Hg. Albert had no irregular heart sounds and