19th July 2023

A 65-year-old accountant presents with discrete episodes of right arm weakness and speech disturbance.

A 65-year-old accountant presents with discrete episodes of right arm weakness and speech disturbance. The first episode occurred 2 weeks ago and lasted less than 5 minutes, which she put down to fatigue. However, she is concerned as she has had a further two episodes in the last 24 hours. She has a past medical history of type 2 diabetes mellitus for which she takes metformin. You suspect this patient is having recurrent transient ischaemic attacks.

What feature is most significant when considering whether the patient requires admission?

Select the SINGLE most appropriate option from the list below. Select ONE option only.