Chapter 17 - Neurologic Emergencies

Question 1

Altered mental status

Answer 1

Any deviation from alert and oriented to person, place, time, and event, or any deviation from a patient’s normal baseline mental status.

Question 2

Aneurysm

Answer 2

A swelling or enlargement of the wall of a blood vessel that results from weakening of the vessel wall.

Question 3

Aphasia

Answer 3

The inability to understand and/or produce speech.

Question 4

Atherosclerosis

Answer 4

A disorder in which calcium and cholesterol buildup inside the walls of the blood vessels, forming plaque, potentially leading to a partial or complete blockage of blood flow.

Question 5

Aura

Answer 5

A sensation experienced before a seizure; serves as a warning sign that a seizure is about to occur.

Question 6

Cerebrovascular accident (CVA)

Answer 6

An interruption of blood flow to the brain that results in the loss of brain function; also called a stroke.

Question 7

Coma

Answer 7

A state of profound unconsciousness from which the patient cannot be roused.

Question 8

Delirium

Answer 8

A temporary change in mental status characterized by disorganized thoughts, inattention, memory loss, disorientation, striking changes in personality and affect, hallucinations, delusions, or decreased level of consciousness.

Question 9

Dysarthria

Answer 9

Slurred speech.

Question 10

Embolus

Answer 10

A blood clot or other substance in the circulatory system that travels to a blood vessel where it causes a blockage.

Question 11

Epilepsy

Answer 11

A disorder in which abnormal electrical discharges occur in the brain, causing seizure and possible loss of consciousness.

Question 12

Febrile seizures

Answer 12

Seizures that result from sudden high fevers; most often seen in children.

Question 13

Generalized (tonic-clonic) seizure

Answer 13

A seizure characterized by severe twitching of all the body’s muscles that may last several minutes or more; formally known as a grand mal seizure.

Question 14

Hemiparesis

Answer 14

Weakness on one side of the body.

Question 15

Hemorrhagic stroke

Answer 15

A type of stroke that occurs as a result of bleeding inside the brain.

Question 16

Hypoglycemia

Answer 16

An abnormally low blood glucose level.

Question 17

Incontinence

Answer 17

Loss of bowel and/or bladder control; may be the result of a generalized seizure.

Question 18

Ischemia

Answer 18

A lack of oxygen that deprives tissues of necessary nutrients, resulting from partial or complete blockage of blood flow; potentially reversible because permanent injury has not yet occurred.

Question 19

Ischemic stroke

Answer 19

A type of stroke that occurs when blood flow to a particular part of the brain is cut off by a blockage (e.g., a blood clot) inside a blood vessel.

Question 20

Partial (focal) seizure

Answer 20

A seizure affecting a limited portion of the brain.

Question 21

Postictal state

Answer 21

The period following a seizure that lasts 5 to 30 minutes; characterized by labored respirations and some degree of altered mental status.

Question 22

Seizure

Answer 22

A neurologic episode caused by a surge of electrical activity in the brain; can be a convulsion characterized by generalized, uncoordinated muscular activity, and can be associated with loss of consciousness.

Question 23

Status epilepticus

Answer 23

A condition in which seizures recur every few minutes or last longer than 30 minutes.

Question 24

Stroke

Answer 24

An interruption of blood flow to the brain that results in the loss of brain function; also called cerebrovascular accident (CVA).

Question 25

Syncope

Answer 25

A fainting spell or transient loss of consciousness.

Question 26

Thrombosis

Answer 26

A blood clot, either in the arterial or venous system. When the clot occurs in a cerebral artery, it may result in the interruption of cerebral blood flow and subsequent stroke.

Question 27

Transient ischemic attack (TIA)

Answer 27

A disorder of the brain in which brain cells temporarily stop functioning because of insufficient oxygen, causing stroke-like symptoms that resolve completely within 24 hours of onset.