Stroke Flashcards
What is a stroke?
- brain attack
- death of brain tissue from hypoxia
- due to no local cerebral blood flow
How can parts of the cerebellum lose blood flow?
- infarction of tissue (death of tissue)
- haemorrhage into brain tissue
Stroke symtoms (FAST)
Face drooping
Arm weakness
Speech difficulty
Time
TIA (transient ischaemic attack) features
- localised loss of brain function
- ‘mini stroke’
- not haemorrhage
- full recovery within 24 hours
- most recover in 30 minutes
TIA consequences
- Higher risk of ‘proper stroke’ over 5 years
Stroke risk factors
- Hypertension
- smoking
- alcohol
- ischaemic heart disease
- atrial fibrilation
- diabetes mellitus
Stroke types
- infarction
- haemorrhage
- subarachnoid haemorrhage
- venous thrombosis
what is the most common type of stroke?
infarction
Stroke causes
- iscaemic = uncertain
- inter cranial bleed - aneurysm rupture
- embolism stroke
- embolism from left side of heart
- atheroma of cerebral vessels
Stroke prevention
- reducing risk factors
- anti platelet action (secondary)
- anticoagulants
stroke - effects(short term)
- loss of functional brain tissue due to immediate nerve cell death
- gradual or rapid loss of function (stroke may evolve over minutes or hours)
- inflammation in tissue surrounding the infarction/bleed
stroke complications
- motor function loss
- dysphonia
- swallowing
- sensory loss
Stroke - investigations (imaging)
CT scan
- rapid - easy access
- poor for iscahaemic stroke
MRI scan
- difficult to obtain quickly
- better at visualising early changes of damage
Digital subtraction angiography - if MRA not available
Stroke - investigations (assessing risk factors)
carotid ultrasound
cardiac ultrasound
ECG (arrhythmia)
blood pressure
diabetes screen
thrombophillia screen (young patients)
Stroke - management (acute phase)
limit damage
reduce future risk
