Signs, Triads, and Other Terms

[midge121787]

Studying for the CEN and trying to make a list of the signs and triads and other various assessment compilations there are. Any help or previously made lists would be a significant help!

Thanks,

[ObtundedRN, BSN, RN]

Babinski's reflex, Battle's sign, Brudzinski's sign, Chvostek's sign, Cullen's sign, Cushing's triad, DeMusset's sign, Duroziez's sign, Fremitus, Grey Turner's Sign, Hill's sign, Homan's sign, Janway lesions, Kehr's sign, Kerley's B lines, Kernig's sign, McBurney's point, Muller's sign, Murphy's sign, Psoas sign, Quincke's sign, Roth's spots, Romberg's sign, Somogyi effect, Traube's sign, Trousseau's sign.

I'm sure there are more than just this.

[MJB2010]

Some of the nclex review books have lists & study guides in the back for these types of things.

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

And for a laugh ... Throckmorton sign. (Not good for polite company. )

[ckh23, BSN, RN]

Beck's Triad for cardiac tamponade- JVD, hypotension, and muffled heart sounds

[portcityrn]

Mad as a hatter Hot as a hair Blind as a bat Dry as a bone....triclyclic OD

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

Mad as a hatter Hot as a hair Blind as a bat Dry as a bone....triclyclic OD

It's actually more broad -- anticholinergics. Mad as a hatter, blind as a bat, red as a beet, hot as a hare, dry as a bone, something about the heart running alone ... applies to antihistamines, antidepressants, antipsychotics, and antiparkinsonian drugs, plus atropine, scopolamine ... there are more, I can't remember right now. Jimsonweed, I think? Is that the same as datura?

Then there's the cholinergics, with SLUDGE:

Salivation

Lacrimation

Urination

Defecation (or diarrhea)

GI distress

Emesis

I think DUMBELLS is better with the cholinergics, because it includes the bradycardia and pinpoint pupils:

Diarrhea

Urination

Miosis

Bradycardia

Emesis

Lacrimation

Lethargy

Salivation

[WonderRN]

Ok, Lunah....

Did you pull that all out of your brain, or did you reference your book?!?!?

Cause if you just rattled that off without looking, you are GOOD! :bowingpur

ok, i remember that anticholinergics dry you up and cholinergics make you seep from every orifice, but well, that's pretty remarkable.

(i am familiar with the acronyms from TNCC/ACLS..... I plan on working towards my CEN soon )

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

My brain. It remembers a LOT of trivia, and I learned those back in paramedic school, before I became an RN. :) I really wish I could delete some things, like my phone number from when I was 8 year old ... might free up some space so I can remember things like where I put my car keys.

[mmutk, BSN, RN, EMT-I]

You can expect Beck's triad for sure! Very popular amung board exams

[murphyle, BSN, RN]

Virchow's triad: venous stasis, hypercoagulability, and vessel wall damage/compromise. Predicts risk of vascular thrombosis.

Fireman's sign: the appearance of ST-segment elevation on an ECG, so named because the RST portion of the tracing rises very sharply and then slowly descends toward the isoelectric line, looking like a fire helmet in profile.

Trauma triad, a/k/a "Triad of Death": hypothermia leading to acidosis and coagulopathy in the context of trauma. Portends a dismal outcome.

LunahRN: Yes, jimsonweed is a datura (D. stramonium), and has all the same anticholinergic effects as the other toxic Solanaceae.

[Larry77, RN]

Understanding some of the most popular eponyms is a good idea but to memorize all the rare ones you can find would be a waste of your time. The CEN does not spend a lot of time asking about rare diseases but more about prioritizing and "real-life" ED situations. My advice is to take a practice exam and find what categories you are week on and study those.