Neurologic Emergencies (ch. 18)

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 a part of an artery, resulting from weakening of the arterial wall.

Question 3

aphasia

Answer 3

The inability to understand and/or produce speech.

Question 4

atherosclerosis

Answer 4

A disorder in which cholesterol and calcium build up inside the walls of blood vessels, eventually leading to 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 a 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 of blood flow.

Question 11

epilepsy

Answer 11

A disorder in which abnormal electrical discharges occur in the brain, causing seizures 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

focal seizure

Answer 13

A seizure affecting a limited portion of the brain.

Question 14

generalized seizure

Answer 14

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

Question 15

hemiparesis

Answer 15

Weakness on one side of the body.

Question 16

hemorrhagic stroke

Answer 16

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

Question 17

hyperglycemia

Answer 17

An abnormally high blood glucose level.

Question 18

hypoglycemia

Answer 18

An abnormally low blood glucose level.

Question 19

incontinence

Answer 19

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

Question 20

ischemia

Answer 20

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 21

ischemic stroke

Answer 21

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

Question 22

postictal state

Answer 22

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

Question 23

seizure

Answer 23

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 24

status epilepticus

Answer 24

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

Question 25

stroke

Answer 25

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

Question 26

syncope

Answer 26

A fainting spell or transient loss of consciousness.

Question 27

thrombosis

Answer 27

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 28

transient ischemic attack (TIA)

Answer 28

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.