Tutor profile: Sarah M.

A patient presents to the emergency department after a car accident. He opens his eyes only in response to pain, is making incomprehensible sounds but is unable to use words, and his only movement is flexion withdrawal from pain. What is his Glasgow Coma Scale score and what is the first step in management of this patient based on that score?

GSC = 8. This patient should be intubated (“8 or less, intubate”). Glasgow Coma Scale Calculation: Eye opening response = 2 (only opens eyes in response to pain) Best verbal response = 2 (only makes incomprehensible sounds) Best motor response = 4 (only movement is flexion withdrawal from pain) 2+2+4 = 8 —> intubate

In aerobic respiration of glucose, what is considered the “final electron acceptor?”

Oxygen is the finale electron acceptor in the electron transport chain, which is the last stage of aerobic respiration.

In a patient with a fracture to the surgical neck of the humerus, what possible nerve lesion would we be concerned for and what motor deficit would this lesion cause?

Axillary nerve (wraps around the surgical neck of the humerus) — innervates the deltoid muscle (major shoulder muscle) and teres minor muscle (in the rotator cuff). With an axillary nerve injury, the patient’s most notable deficits will be a major weakness in shoulder abduction (deltoid muscle) and some weakness in lateral rotation of the arm (teres minor muscle).