A friction rub is a scratching or squeaking sound that persists throughout the respiratory cycle and does not clear with coughing. True or false?

Choice A reason: Stage 4 pressure injury involves full-thickness tissue loss with exposed muscle, bone, or tendon, as described with a deep depression and visible bone. This severe stage requires aggressive interventions like debridement or surgery. Accurate staging ensures proper wound care, preventing infection and promoting healing in advanced pressure injuries.

Choice B reason: Stage 3 involves full-thickness loss to subcutaneous tissue, not muscle or bone, unlike the described injury with visible bone (stage 4). Misstaging as 3 underestimates severity, risking inadequate treatments like simple dressings, delaying surgical intervention or infection control critical for deep pressure injuries with bone exposure.

Choice C reason: Stage 1 is intact skin with erythema, not a deep lesion with bone exposure, which is stage 4. Misstaging as 1 grossly underestimates severity, neglecting urgent needs like debridement or antibiotics, risking infection, sepsis, or further tissue loss in severe pressure injuries requiring advanced wound management.

Choice D reason: Stage 2 involves partial-thickness loss with a shallow wound, not deep muscle or bone exposure, as in stage 4. Misstaging as 2 risks inadequate care, like topical treatments instead of surgical intervention, delaying healing and increasing complications like osteomyelitis in severe pressure injuries with visible bone.

Choice A reason: Facial droop is an unexpected neurological finding, often indicating cranial nerve VII (facial nerve) dysfunction, as seen in stroke or Bell’s palsy. It disrupts symmetrical muscle movement, signaling potential brain or nerve pathology. This abnormality requires urgent evaluation to determine underlying causes like ischemia or inflammation.

Choice B reason: Swallowing without coughing is a normal finding, reflecting intact cranial nerves IX and X. Dysphagia or coughing during swallowing would suggest neurological impairment, but this choice indicates expected function, making it a typical result in a neurological assessment of swallowing capability.

Choice C reason: Spontaneous eye opening is a normal finding, indicating intact brainstem and cranial nerve function, particularly cranial nerve III. It is expected in conscious patients and does not suggest neurological dysfunction, unlike failure to open eyes, which could indicate coma or severe impairment.

Choice D reason: Understandable speech is a normal finding, reflecting coordinated function of cranial nerves and brain regions like Broca’s area. Slurred or incoherent speech would be abnormal, but this choice indicates expected neurological performance, not an unexpected outcome in a standard assessment.