Stroke Flashcards
What is the cause of a stroke?
Cut off of blood supply to the brain
What are the two main types of stroke?
Infarct and haemorrhage
What is the cause of an infarct/ischemic stroke?
Blood clot blocks the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain
What are atheromas?
Plaques of fatty material that build up in the arteries
What is thrombosis?
Blood clots in vessels reducing blood flow
What are embolisms?
Clots break off and stop blood flow in another area
What is the core in an ischemic stroke?
Irretrievable area of the brain
What is the penumbra in a ischemic stroke?
Area surrounding the core that can be saved
What is the profusion lesion?
The difference between the core and penumbra
What is the cause of a haemorrhage stroke?
High blood pressure causes vessels to become thin and fragile and therefore repture
What is an intracerebral haemorrhage?
Bleeding in or around the brain (haematoma)
What is an aneurysm?
High pressure vessels pop and leads to blood I’m the surface of the brain
What is fistula?
Blood goes from high pressure arteries to low pressure veins leading to bursting
What is cavanova?
Vessels may seep leading to stroke issues
What are cerebral veins cause of stroke?
Blocked veins lead to back pressure and potential status due to no blood flow also may seep
What are lacunar syndromes?
Small subcortical lesions caused by a blocked artery
How does patent formen ovale lead to cardiogenic stroke?
Hole in the heart doesn’t close and allows blood clots to travel
How does myocardial infarction lead to cardiogenic stroke?
Heart attack leads to decreased blood flow
How does arterial fibrillation cause cardiogenic stroke?
Heart doesn’t beat properly, due to heart disease
What symptom does a cortical stroke present with?
Cognitive problems e.g. speech and language issues
What symptoms does a sub-cortical stroke present with?
Alertness, but completely paralysed
What symptoms does a brain stem stroke present with?
Very unsteady and potential further complications e.g. locked in syndrome and quadriplegic
What are the two main diagnostic tests for stroke severity?
NIH stroke scale (NIHSS) and the modified rankin scale
On a head CT, how does a stroke show?
Grey/darker areas
On a diffusion MRI how do strokes show up?
Light up
What is an MR tissue clock?
When an unknown time of onset for a stroke happens. If diffusion MR is positive for stroke and flare and T2 is negative, the stroke happened less than 4 hours ago
What are the two main stroke treatments called?
Thrombolysis and thrombectomy
What is the main thrombolysis drug called?
Alteplase
How does alteplase work?
Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator
What is a thrombectomy?
Using a catheter to pull a clot out from the groin
How many hours after a stroke should thrombolysis and thrombectomy be used?
Thrombolysis - 9 hours
Thrombectomy - 24 hours
How is an inter cranial haemorrhage treated?
Can treat on its own, bleeding will rupture seal, give medication that won’t increase bleeding e.g. paracetamol
What interventions are promoted on the stroke ward?
Anticipate complications e.g. BP and cerebral edema
Stroke prevention e.g. diabetes and hypertension
