Neuro 4 LURN: Stroke/CVA and Seizures Flashcards
What is a stroke/cerebrovascular accident (CVA)?
Sudden interruption of blood supply to the brain
What is the patho of a stroke/cva?
Deprivation of oxygen and nutrients leads to brain tissue damage/necrosis
What are the three causes of stroke/cva?
- Hemorrhagic: ruptured artery/aneurysm
- Thrombotic: blood clot in cerebral artery
- Embolic: Blood clot from another part of the body that travels to the cerebral artery
What are the stroke/cva risk factors?
- Smoking
- HTN
- Diabeties
- Obesity
- AFIB
- Hyperlipidemia
- Hx of transient ischemic attack (TIA)
What are the general s/s of stroke/cva?
- Unilateral limb weakness
- Facial drooping
- Slurred speech
- Visual disturbances (homonymous hemianopsia)
- Dizziness
The left hemisphere is responsible for what aspects of being?
Language/math, analytical thinking
What are the s/s of left-sided stroke/cva?
- Expressive aphasia (inability to speak/understand language)
- Reading and writing difficulty
- Right-sided hemiparesis (weakness) and/or hemiplegia (paralysis)
The right hemisphere is responsible for what aspects of being?
Visual and spatial awareness
What are the s/s of right-sided stroke/cva?
- Overestimation of abilities
- Poor judgement and impulse control
- Left-sided hemiparesis and/or hemiplegia
What are the dx tests used for stroke/cva?
- CT
- MRI
- Cerebral angiogram
What is the tx for ischemic stroke?
- Thrombolytics (TPA) w/in 3hrs of symptoms
- Anticoags
- Antiplatelets
- Surgery
- Embolectomy
What is the tx for hemorrhagic stroke?
- Antihypertensives
- Surgery
- Aneurysm repair
What is our nursing care for stroke/cva?
- Closely monitor pt’s BP
- Implement fall precautions
- Assess swallowing and gag reflex before allowing pt to eat
- Thicken liquids and teach pt to tuck chin to chest when swallowing
- Reposition pt frequently to protect them from pressure injuries
- Teach pt to use scanning technique
- Turn head from direction of unaffected side to affected side for homonymous hemianopsia
What are seizures?
- Uncontrolled electrical discharge of neurons in the brain
- Epilepsy is ≥ 2 unprovoked seizures
What is the patho of seizures?
Disease, injury or unknown cause results in hyperexcitability of neurons and decreased inhibition of neuron activity