Free BCEN Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) Practice Question

A transient ischemic attack presents with temporary neurologic deficits and no acute infarction. Despite the self-resolving nature of the symptoms, urgent evaluation is required as TIAs are strong predictors for future strokes. An immediate non-contrast head CT is the correct choice to rule out hemorrhage or infarction before the patient can be safely treated with therapeutic interventions such as antiplatelet agents. Carotid doppler studies and echocardiograms might be relevant to determining the cause of TIA, but they are not the most immediate step in acute management. Likewise, patient admission for observation does not address the risk of evolving stroke as directly as neuroimaging does.