Chapter 18, 19, and 20 Flashcards
Reticular Activating System
Nerve cells within the brainstem that control consciousness
Altered Mental Status
Variation from normal function of the mind
Coma
An unconscious state in which a person does not respond to any stimulus, including pain
Neurological Deficit
Any deficiency in the nervous system’s functioning
Non-traumatic Brain Injury
A medical injury to the brain, such as a stroke, that is not caused by external trauma
Stroke
A sudden disruption in blood flow to the brain that results in brain cell damage
Hemorrhagic Stroke
A stroke caused by a rupture of a blood vessel in the brain
Transient Ischemic Attack (ITA)
Brief, intermittent episode with stroke-like symptoms that disappear within 24 hours. TIA’s are caused by an oxygen deficit in the brain tissue (Ischemia) and are often a precursor to a stroke
Seizure
A sudden and temporary alteration in the mental status caused by massive electrical discharge in a group of nerve cells in the brain
Convulsion
Generalized jerky muscle movements
Epilepsy
A medical disorder characterized by recurrent seizures
Status Epilepticus
A seizure lasting longer than 5 minutes or consecutive seizures with no period of responsiveness between them
Generalized tonic-clonic Seizure
A common type of seizure that produces unresponsiveness and generalized jerky muscle activity. AKA grand mal seizure
Aura
An unusual sensory sensation that may precede a seizure episode by hours or only a few seconds
Postictal State
The recovery period that follows the clonic phase of a generalized seizure In a postical state that patient commonly appears weak, exhausted, and disoriented and progressively improves