Adult CVA Flashcards
What are basic things that should be assessed in potential stroke patients?
 What is the patient’s blood glucose level? When were they last seen normal?
When can lowering blood pressure and stroke be dangerous?
Lowering blood pressure and stroke can be catastrophic if the stroke is hemorrhagic. This is because perfusion is dependent on high blood pressure.
What are the parts of a Cincinnati stroke assessment?
Facial droop, arm drift, slurred speech.
What are the parts of a VAN assessment?
What does VAN stand for?
Vision, aphasia (ability to produce and understand language), neglect
Step one: Test for arm weakness. Have the patient hold their arms up palms facing the ceiling, and keep them there for 10 seconds. Any arm drift or medial rotation is considered positive.
Step two: vision check. Have patient stare at assessors nose and hold fingers up to their left and right asking them how many fingers are held up. Also look to see if they are cross side, or have a disconjugate gaze.
Step three: language test. Check for ability to understand speech, produce speech, and repeat speech.
Have the patient name two objects, ask them to close their eyes, open their eyes, and make a fist. Have them repeat a sentence that you say first.
Step four: neglect. Look to see if the patient’s gaze is directed in one direction, usually the upper right or upper left corner. And check to see if the patient is unable to move their gaze to the left or right.
Also have the patient close their eyes. Touch both their arms and ask them if you are touching the left, the right, or both.
If a patient is positive in vision or aphasia or neglect plus arm weakness, they are considered VAN positive. If the patient does not have arm weakness, they are considered VAN negative.
