The 71-year-old patient with a history of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and type 2 diabetes mellitus is brought to the emergency department 3 hours after exhibiting right-sided facial weakness, drooping of the right eye, and slurring of the words. Appendicular tone is normal and the patient has no issues walking or standing from a sitting position. The nurse prepares the patient for which intervention first?

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Computed tomography scan of the head. The patient is exhibiting signs of a stroke; the first intervention is to determine if the patient&rsquo;s symptoms are caused by intracranial hemorrhage or thromboembolic stroke, as the treatments are vastly different. Once the cause of the patient&rsquo;s symptoms are determined, it may be indicated to administer tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). A chewable aspirin tablet is not the first intervention. Carotid ultrasound may be helpful if the CT scan cannot determine the cause of the symptoms as blockage of the carotid can cause stroke symptoms via decreased blood flow to the brain.

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