Cerebrovascular Disease- Stroke :) Flashcards
What is a stroke?
A stroke is a cerebrovascular event caused by disruption of blood supply to the brain.
What does a disruption of blood supply result in?
It results in damage and death of brain tissue because cells can no longer retrieve oxygen & nutrients from the blood.
What is a stroke characterised by?
- Rapidly developing signs of focal or global disturbance of cerebral functions
- Symptoms lasting for more than 24 hours.
In the UK it’s estimated _____________ people have a stroke and its the cause of ____________ deaths each year.
150,000
53,000 deaths
A further 20,000 people have a _______.
TIA.
What does TIA stand for and what is it?
Transient Ischemic Attack
Its a mini stroke, it can act as a warning sign for a future stroke.
Stroke is the largest cause of ________ and the third largest cause of ______.
Disability
Death.
What are the risk factors of stroke (why might a stroke happen)?
Alcohol use Obesity Old age Atrial fibliration High Blood Pressure Diabetes Poor Diet High Cholesterol Lack of physical activity Smoking.
What does FAST stand for?
Face
Arms
Speech
Time to call 999.
What are the signs of stroke?
- difficulty speaking
- trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- severe headache with no known cause
- Sudden weakness in limbs/face, most often on one side of the body
- Numbness of face/arm/leg on one side of the body
- confusion or understanding speech.
- trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
What are the 4 that must be determined in triage?
- Time and Nature of Onset (when did symptoms start)
- Differential Diagnosis (is it a stroke?)
- Aetiology (what caused it?)
- Treatment Plan (what can we do to help)
Treatment plans aim to minimise ________ of _______________ and ________ future strokes.
Risk
Complications
Prevent
How do they determine the factors in triage?
They assess the patient’s clinical presentation
Image the brain
Run blood,heart and blood vessel tests
Symptoms depend on what?
- part of brain affected
- size of damaged area
Name the symptoms of a stroke affecting the posterior frontal, temporal, parietal lobes.
(contralateral - on other side of body from stroke ) Face and arm Leg weakness Sensory loss to all modalities Visual field cut Visua;-spatial neglect
ipsilateral (same side as stroke)
Gaze preference
dominant hemisphere affected: aphasia, alexia, agraphia, acalculia
The middle cerebral artery is the vasculatory territory supplying blood to where?
Posterior Frontal
Temporal
Parietal
Stroke affecting the _______ __________ ______________ causes aphasia.
Middle Cerebral Artery.
Stroke in what area can result in dysphagia?
Lateral Medulla.
Stroke affecting the lateral medulla is also known as what?
Wallenburg syndrome.
What artery supplies the lateral medulla?
Posterior Inferior Cerebral Artery.
Name symptoms of stroke affecting the lateral medulla.
Contralateral-
Loss of pain and temperatue sensation
Ipsilateral- Facial Pain Hemifacial pain and temperature loss ataxia nystagmus nausea/ vomitting vertigo
Hiccups
Can cause dysphagia.
What is used to confirm if an individual has had a stroke and the nature of the stroke?
Brainn Imaging (CT scan preferential).
Why is a CT scan normally used in these cases?
- Good at detecting acute bleeding and problems in bone eg. fractures or bone breaks
- It is quick (5-10 mins)
What is it difficult to do in the CT scan?
Image the brainstem.
When is an MRI scan performed?
If more information/detail is needed.
What is MRI best at detecting?
Small or subtle lesions.
The _____ scan takes about 45 mins to complete.
MRI
Why is a blood glucose test performed?
Low sugar levels may cause symptoms similar to those of a stroke.
Why do we measure platelet level?
Abnormal platelet levels may be a sign of:
- a bleeding disorder (not enough clotting)
- a thrombotic disorder (too much clotting)
What is an ECG?
Electrocardiogram
Records the heart’s electrical activity.
What does an ECG do?
It helps detect heart problems that may have led to a stroke.
eg. atrial fibrillation (irregular heart beat) or previous heart attack.
What uses sound waves to create pictures of your heart?
Echocardiography
What can echocardiography detect?
It can detect possible blood clots inside the heart and problems with the aorta.
What is the main supply of oxygen rich blood to the brain?
The carotid arteries.
Name this-
It uses sound waves to create pictures of the insides of the carotid arteries.
Carotid Ultrasound
What does a doppler ultrasound show?
The speed and direction of blood moving through the blood vessels.
What can a carotid ultrasound show?
It can show whether plaque has narrowed or blocked the carotid arteries.
If plaque in the carotid artery is untreated what can happen?
A blood clot can form and a piece of plaque breaks off which then goes to the brain.
Computed Tomography Arteriogram (CTA) and Magnetic Resonance Arteriogram (MRA) can show what?
It can show large blood vessels in the brain.
What can MRA and CTA give the doctor?
It can give the doctor more information about the site of a blood clot and the flow of blood through the brain.
CTA or MRA identifies where there’s issues with ______ _______.
blood flow.
What is a lumbar puncture?
A needle is inserted into the lower part of the spine.
It measure the pressure within the spinal canal and takes a sample of CSF to look for any traces of blood.
Why are all these tests so important?
Doctors must know what caused the stroke before they can choose the correct treatment.
Name the 2 Types of stroke.
Haemorrhagic Stroke
Ischaemic Stroke
What type of stroke is the most common?
Ischaemic
What is a haemorrhagic stroke?
A bleed in the brain.
A haemorrhagic results in high ____ and ___________. what is the outcome influenced by?
Morbidity
Mortality
Outcome influenced by the size of the bleed, its location, and the resultant complications.
Name the 2 main types of haemorrhagic stroke.
Intracerebral Haemorrhage
Subarachnoid Haemorrhage.
Explain what an intracerebral Haemorrhage is.
When an artery inside the brain bursts/ruptures.
Where do intracerebral haemorrhages most commonly occur?
In the basal ganglia.
Apart from the basal ganglia, where else can intracerebral haemorrhages occur?
In the cerebral lobes, cerebellum and pons.
What does the bursting and rupturing of the blood vessel result in?
Blood escaping into the brain tissue.
The escaped blood from the burst blood vessel collects forming a ______, putting ________ on surrounding tissue.
Haematoma
Pressure