Chapter 18. Neurologic Emergencies Flashcards
Any deviation from alert and oriented to person, place, time, and event, or any deviation from a patient’s normal baseline mental status.
Altered Mental Status
A swelling or enlargement of the wall of a blood vessel that results from a weakening of the vessel wall.
Aneurysm
The inability to understand and/or produce speech.
Aphasia
A disorder in which calcium and cholesterol build up inside the walls of the blood vessels, forming plaque, potentially leading to a partial or complete blockage of blood flow.
Atherosclerosis
A sensation experienced before a seizure; serves as a warning sign that a seizure is about to occur.
Aura
An interruption of blood flow to the brain that results in the loss of brain function;
also called a stroke.
Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA)
A state of profound unconsciousness from which the patient cannot be roused.
Coma
A temporary change in mental status characterized by disorganized thoughts, inattention, memory loss, disorientation, striking changes in personality and affect, hallucinations, delusions, or a decreased level of consciousness.
Delirium
Slurred speech.
Dysarthria
A blood clot or other substance in the circulatory system that travels to a blood vessel where it causes a blockage.
Embolus
Can result from atrial fibrillation or artherosclerosis.
A disorder in which abnormal electrical discharges occur in the brain, causing seizure and possible loss of consciousness.
Epilepsy
Seizures that result from sudden high fevers; most often seen in children.
Febrile Seizures
A seizure characterized by severe twitching of all of the body’s muscles that may last several minutes or more; known as grand mal seizure.
Generalized Seizures
Weakness on one side of the body.
Hemiparesis
A type of stroke that occurs as a result of bleeding inside the brain.
Hemorrhagic Stroke
Abnormally low blood glucose levels.
Hypoglycemia
Loss of bowel and/or bladder control; may be a result of generalized seizure.
Incontinence
A lack of oxygen that deprives tissues of necessary nutrients, resulting from partial to complete blockage of blood flow; potentially reversible.
Ischemia
A type of stroke that occurs when blood flow to a particular part of the brain is cut off by blockage inside a blood vessel.
Ischemic Stroke
A seizure affecting a limited portion of the brain.
Focal Seizure
The period following a seizure that lasts 5 to 50 minutes; characterized by labored respirations and some degree of altered mental status.
Postictal State
An interruption of blood flow to the brain that results in the loss of brain function; also called cerebrovascular accident (CVA).
Stroke
A blood clot, either in 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.
Thrombosis
STOPEATS
AEIOUTIPS
Outline the BEFAST Stroke Assessment
Outline the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale
Outline the Los Angeles Prehopsital Stroke Screen.
Outline the 3-Item Stroke Severity Scale
Outline the Glasgow Coma Scale.
AVPU
A rise in the pressure inside the skull that can result from or cause brain injury.
Increased Intracranial Pressure
List the early signs of increased intracranial pressure.
List the late signs of increased intracranial pressure.
A set of signs that are indicative of increased intracranial pressure (ICP).
Cushing’s Triad
Outline the treatment principles for seizures.
A lower than normal level of sodium in the bloodstream.
Hyponatremia
List the signs of symptoms of hyponatremia.
Outline the treatment principles for hyponatremia.
Outline the treatment principles for syncope.
Amnesia where a person can’t recall memories that were formed before the event that caused the amnesia.
Retrograde Amnesia
A type of memory loss that occurs when a person can’t form new memories.
Anterograde Amnesia
List the four types of brain hemorrhage.
Outline the level of damage caused by a stroke at 10 minutes, 1 hour, 3 hours, and 6 hours.
