A nurse is making her initial rounds. When she enters the room of a patient who is suffering from severe brain trauma, she sees the patient with a rigid extension of all extremities. The patient's forearms are hyper-pronated and the feet are plantar flexed. What positioning is the patient exhibiting?

Explanation

• Decerebrate positioning is characterized by rigidity in all four extremities with hyper-pronation of the forearms and plantar-flexion of the feet (toes pointed). It usually indicates more severe brain damage than decorticate positioning

• Patients who are suffering from severe brain trauma may exhibit involuntary responses, namely decorticate and decerebrate positioning

• Incorrect: Decorticate positioning is characterized by stiffness in all extremities with arms bent (imagine the arms are pulled in towards the "core"), clenched fists, and legs held out straight

• Incorrect: Opisthotonic positioning is when the patient shows arching of the back and neck. This may be seen in conjunction with decerebrate posturing

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