Cerebrovascular Stroke Case Study

Alice Palmer has a mild brain tissue damage associated with the ischemic stroke as evidenced by a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 15. On the other hand, she has a normal heart rate of 89 beats per minute (HR 89) and a blood pressure of 155/90 mmHg. A blood pressure of 155/90 mmHg is an indication of stage 1 hypertension. Mrs. Alice Palmer is hypertensive because she refused to take medication while she was at home (Grace Meissner, 2011; Fortrat & Gharib, 2016). Further, Mrs. Alice Palmer has a left-sided hemiparesis which indicates damage to the right side of the brain. Left-sided hemiparesis is a weak muscle tone of the left side of the body which leads to faded movement and carrying out self-care activities such as dressing, bathing, and grabbing objects (Fischer et al., 2016). Moreover, damage to the right side of the brain is associated with poor memory since the limbic system is located in that region (Usher & Marriott, 2011). Also, Mrs. Alice had a bilateral visual field deficit because of the mild brain tissue damage associated with the ischemic

In many cases, strokes can be diagnosed, prevented and treatable. Symptoms of a stroke can occur quickly and may cause: sudden numbness, tingling, or weakness, or paralysis in your face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of your body. Sudden: vision changes, trouble speaking (slurred speech), confusion or trouble understanding simple statements, problems with walking or balance, severe headache. It's recommended to call a doctor or 911 even if these symptoms last for a short amount of time because a transient ischemic attack, or mini stroke may have occurred. The transient ischemic attack may be a precursor to a stroke occurring soon. Catching these symptoms can dramatically increase chances of prevention additional damage to the body (2).

. Define the term collateral blood flow, and describe how this and other factors affect the development of stroke.

According to our American Red Cross Nursing Assistant text a cerebral vascular accident, C.V.A., or stroke occurs when blood flow to a part of the brain is interrupted. The loss of blood supply results in the death of brain cells. (Page 91) When your brain starts to die the bodily functions the brain controls can be affected. The affected bodily functions depend on what part of the brain does not receive oxygen. Web MD says damage “can occur within 3-4 minutes if not treated.”

Strokes are caused by pathophysiological changes. The two major mechanisms of stroke consist of ischemia and haemorrhage. Ischemia is when there is no oxygen or not, merely enough oxygen to fuel the tissue level in the body. Haemorrhage in the brain, causing strokes can be due to non-traumatic intracerebral haemorrhage (Shah, MD, n.d.) (see appendix 1). This essay will further discuss the implications of strokes on a cellular, organ and system level. Explain the clinical presentation of the signs and symptoms of strokes and how the condition will be managed by a paramedic.

The stroke from a blocked artery is called ischemia, and the ruptured artery is hemorrhagic. As time is critical after the cerebrovascular accident, lack of treatment will lead to brain cell apoptosis and neural injuries are permanent. Evaluation using brief tests of cognitive impairment includes analysis of executive functioning, memory, language, and visuospatial performance, neuropsychiatric as well as depressive symptoms (Grant and Adams, 2009).

The diagnostic process for a formally diagnosing Cerebral Vascular Accident (CVA/stroke), would consist with a number of test including a physical exam and questions regarding your family history of strokes, any signs or symptoms that may have been present before the patient had the stroke. The physician would also order a few tests like a MRI, CT scan, Cerebral Carotid ultrasound, Cerebral Angiogram and an Echo Cardiogram. The physical exam is important to listen to the hearts sounds, take your blood pressure and also use a ophthalmoscope ( a scope to look in your eyes, ears and nose) to see if there are any cholesterol crystals behind the eyes("Diagnosis - Stroke - Mayo Clinic," 2015). A MRI, uses radio and magnetic waves to show a detailed

Cerebrovascular Accident- condition in which brain tissue is deprived of blood supply.  The most common stroke symptoms are:

A CVA occurs when a part of the brain is damaged or destroyed due to an interruption of blood flow to the area resulting in brain cell death (Martini, Nath & Bartholomew 2015 pp. 496-470).There are two main types of a CVA, Ischaemic stroke and Haemorrhagic stroke (AIHW 2013). The most common cause of stroke is ischaemic, which can be caused by embolism/thrombosis (AIHW 2013). An embolism/thrombosis occurs when there is a clot in an artery or vein, which stops blood flow to the brain (AIHW 2013). A haemorrhagic stroke is when an artery ruptures and bleeds into the surrounding brain tissue (AIHW 2013). This form of stroke occurs when blood pools and forms a clot therefore putting pressure on the area of the brain depriving it of oxygen and nutrients it needs to remain healthy (AIHW 2013).

Cerebral Vascular Accident also known as a stroke, happens when the artery that supplies the blood flow to your brain becomes substantially blocked or completely blocked ("Overview - Stroke - Mayo Clinic," 2015). Without adequate blood supply the brain cells begin to die or become damaged. It is very important to get medical assistance as soon as you think you may be having a stroke, this will help lessen the damage done to the brain ("Overview - Stroke - Mayo Clinic," 2015).

Cerebrovascular disease has specific therapy that can help people from getting a stroke again. When someone has a stroke, it usually means there are other problems going on with the person (Walker, Hall, Hurst, 1990). Strokes are heterogeneous disorders. In order to diagnoses someone with cerebrovascular disease, there are about seven factors that a doctor looks for. The first and foremost is to see if the person actually had a stroke and not something else. Second, the doctor would need to determine whether t the stroke was a hemorrhagic stroke or an isthmic stroke. The third step that needs to be taken is to determine the steps necessary that will keep the patient medically stabilized. Fourth, the pathophysiology of why the event occurred needs to be determined. For example, the doctor needs to see if it was an aneurysm that causes the stroke, atherosclerosis, or embolus. The fifth step is to find ways to prevent the patient from having a stroke in the future. Unfortunately, the next time a patient survives a stroke, they may not be so lucky to survive it again. This is why finding different methods to

Stroke previously known as Cerebrovascular accident is well-defined as ‘an abrupt cessation of cerebral circulation in one or more of the blood vessels distributing the brain. Due to the interruption or diminish of oxygen supply causes serious damage or necrosis in the brain tissues (Jauch, Kissella & Stettler, 2005). There is a presence of one or more symptoms such as weakness or numbness or paralysis of the face, arm or leg, difficulty speaking or swallowing, dizziness, loss of balance, loss of vision, sudden blurring or decreased vision in one or both eyes and headache. Stoke is categorised into two types, Ischaemic and haemorrhagic

A cerebrovascular accident more commonly known as a stroke or brain attack is the term used to describe the sudden death of brain cells in a localized area due to inadequate blood flow. In order to woke the brain needs a constant supply of oxygen and nutrients. This supply is carried to the brain

Approximately 15 million people suffer a stroke worldwide each year, of those 5 million die and another 5 million are permanently disabled Mackay et al (2004). Stroke tends to affect people over the age of 75 (Scarborough et al 2009). Since almost 70% of people over 75 retain some teeth (Todd and Laden 1998), maintaining a healthy mouth is important for elderly stroke patients. Not only does effective oral care play a central role in the prevention of infection, a healthy mouth also makes a real difference to a person’s quality of life (McGrath and Bedi 1998) and maintenance of nutritional status (Jones 1998) .For these reasons, this dissertation will examine the benefits of good oral hygiene for elderly stroke patients and nurses role in

The abstract provided includes descriptive statistics as it is describing the population of patients in stroke rehabilitation and their incidence, characteristics and consequence of falls. After reading the abstract, there is information that I feel is missing in order to implement effective change. The abstract stated that extrinsic and intrinsic factors impacted a portion of the falls, as well as 31% of falls being unclassified. Because of the shortage of details, I would like to know more about the falls including: