Chapter 17 - Neurologic Emergencies Flashcards
Altered mental status
Any deviation from alert and oriented to person, place, time, and event, or any deviation from a patient’s normal baseline mental status.
Aneurysm
A swelling or enlargement of the wall of a blood vessel that results from weakening of the vessel wall.
Aphasia
The inability to understand and/or produce speech.
Atherosclerosis
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.
Aura
A sensation experienced before a seizure; serves as a warning sign that a seizure is about to occur.
Cerebrovascular accident (CVA)
An interruption of blood flow to the brain that results in the loss of brain function; also called a stroke.
Coma
A state of profound unconsciousness from which the patient cannot be roused.
Delirium
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.
Dysarthria
Slurred speech.
Embolus
A blood clot or other substance in the circulatory system that travels to a blood vessel where it causes a blockage.
Epilepsy
A disorder in which abnormal electrical discharges occur in the brain, causing seizure and possible loss of consciousness.
Febrile seizures
Seizures that result from sudden high fevers; most often seen in children.
Generalized (tonic-clonic) seizure
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.
Hemiparesis
Weakness on one side of the body.
Hemorrhagic stroke
A type of stroke that occurs as a result of bleeding inside the brain.
Hypoglycemia
An abnormally low blood glucose level.
Incontinence
Loss of bowel and/or bladder control; may be the result of a generalized seizure.
Ischemia
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.
Ischemic stroke
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.
Partial (focal) seizure
A seizure affecting a limited portion of the brain.
Postictal state
The period following a seizure that lasts 5 to 30 minutes; characterized by labored respirations and some degree of altered mental status.
Seizure
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.
Status epilepticus
A condition in which seizures recur every few minutes or last longer than 30 minutes.
Stroke
An interruption of blood flow to the brain that results in the loss of brain function; also called cerebrovascular accident (CVA).
Syncope
A fainting spell or transient loss of consciousness.
Thrombosis
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.
Transient ischemic attack (TIA)
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.
