8 - Acute Brain Injury + Seizures Flashcards
Romberg test
Test that measures your sense of balance
+ve test indicates ataxia [impaired muscle coordination]
PERRLA
Pupils equal, round, reactive to light, accomodation present
nystagmus
Nystagmus is a vision condition in which the eyes make repetitive, uncontrolled movements.
ICP
Intracranial pressure (ICP) is defined as the pressure within the craniospinal compartment, a closed system that comprises a fixed volume of neural tissue, blood, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
epilepsy
group of disorders characterized by recurrent seizures
tonic-clonic seizure
most common seizure associated with epilepsy
tonic phase: characterized by generalized muscle contraction, a rigid body, + extended limbs. jaw clenches tightly and respiration stops
clonic phase: muscles contract and relaz, resulting in forceful movements of the entire body. salivation usuallly increases and incontinence is frequent
status epilepticus
recurrent or continuous seizures w/o return of consciousness is called status epilepticus
causes severe hypoxia, hypoglycemia, and acidosis, possibly resulting in brain damage
agnosia
Agnosia is the loss of the ability to recognize objects, faces, voices, or places. It’s a rare disorder involving one (or more) of the senses
autoregulation
Autoregulation is a manifestation of local blood flow regulation. It is defined as the intrinsic ability of an organ to maintain a constant blood flow despite changes in perfusion pressure.
Monroe-Kellie Doctrine
the sum of volumes of brain, CSF, and intracranial blood is constant. An increase in one should cause a decrease in one or both of the remaining two.
Cushing’s Triad
as ICP increases – the CV center of the medulla detects brain ischemia
this causes efferent signals from the vasomotor area resulting in systemic vasoconstriction
this elevates the blood pressure in an attempt to perfuse the brain
Decorticate Posturing
earns a score of 3 on the GCS
Decerebrate Posturing
earns a score of 2 on the GCS
seizure
A seizure is a burst of uncontrolled electrical activity between brain cells (also called neurons or nerve cells) that causes temporary abnormalities in muscle tone or movements (stiffness, twitching or limpness), behaviors, sensations or states of awareness
abscence seizure
generalized seizure; more common in young children
seizure usually lasts 5-10 seconds, may occur several times per day
brief loss of consciousness usually results in the child “staring into space” but can include twitches in the eyelids + lip smacking
following the seizure normal activity is resumed + no memory of the event is retained
EEG
electroencephalogram - test that detects electrical activity in your brain using electrodes attached to your scalp
can help diagnose seizure disorders, epilepsy, head injuries, etc.
apraxia
loss of skilled mvmt
MMSE
mini mental state examination
battle sign
bruise that indicates a basilar skull fracture - considered a medical emergency
periorbital ecchymosis
“raccoon eye”
associated w basilar skull fracture
nuchal rigidity
hyperextended, stiff neck
rhinorrhea
CSF leaking thru the nose
photophobia
hypersensitivity to light - not a condition; a symptom of another problem
generalized seizure
A generalized seizure occurs when the abnormal electrical activity causing a seizure begins in both halves (hemispheres) of the brain at the same time.
Generalized seizures include absence, atonic, tonic, clonic, tonic-clonic, myoclonic, and febrile seizures.