WEEK 2 STROKE AND CVD Flashcards
(43 cards)
Out of those people that have a stroke and survive (2/3), what is the chance that they will have another stroke that is fatal?
- 10%
What is a stroke?
- sudden disruption of the blood supply to a part of the brain
- Loss of blood supply means lower oxygen and thus cerebral ischemia
When there is a loss of blood supply to the brain, we understand that this means less oxygen, however what else does it mean?
- That less glucose will be supplied to the brain which it so crucially needs
What are the two types of stroke classified on?
- What actually causes the brain flow disruption
What are the two major types of stroke?
- Ischaemic stroke
2. Haemorrhagic stroke
What occurs in an ischaemic stroke?
- a blood vessel is occluded by a thrombus
What are the two subtypes of ischaemic stroke?
- Embolic
- thrombotic
What occurs in an embolic ischaemic stroke?
- An embolism in the body (clot) travels to the brain e.g. deep vein thrombosis
What occurs in a thrombotic ischaemic stroke?
- A thrombus grows to block the blood vessel
What occurs in hemorrhagic stroke?
- Rupture of a blood vessel.
What are the two subtypes of hemorrhagic stroke?
- Subarachnoid–> Bleeding in the space around the brain.
- Intracerebral–> Bleeding in the brain tissue itself.
What percentage of strokes does ischemic stroke make up?
85% of strokes.
What percentage of strokes does hemorrhagic stroke makeup?
15% of strokes.
What are the 5 main risk factors for ischemic stroke?
- Hypertension. (70% of strokes)
- Atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat)
- Smoking
- Diabetes
- Age
Is the outcome of a stroke worse in males or females?
- Worse in females but males have a higher risk of having one
Why is rapid intervention crucial in the treatment of acute ischaemic stroke?
- Because time is crucial for the brain for example for every hour you don’t treat a stroke, you have 120 million neurons lost which leads to 3.6 years of accelerated aging thus taken off life expectancy
What are the 6 steps in the current treatment for ischemic stroke?
- Diagnosis of a stroke type: MRI , CT scan.
- If the stroke is ischemic and occurred [4.5 hours, the clot buster enzyme rt-PA will be injected (but only works in 2-8% of patients)
- High blood pressure treated.
- Anticoagulants, and antiplatelet drugs to thin the blood if ischaemic stroke
- Osmotic agents (and elevation of head) –> if hemorrhagic stroke
- Physiotherapy, speech therapy - as soon as possibly
How many truly effective treatments are there available for ischaemic stroke?
- Only 1!
- rtPA but only if stroke occurred within 4.5 hours
Why can’t rt-PA be given after 4.5 hours of an ischaemic stroke?
- As this is a ‘clot buster’ drug, it will lead to thinning of the blood and after 4.5 hours it can lead to increased risk of hemorrhage. (you DON’T want further bleeding)
How does one know if a stroke is occurring?
- Usually based on the person they are with
- droopy side to the face
- Arms are tingly
- Could occur at night though so difficult to tell when it occurred.
What is an endovascular procedure to correct an ischaemic stroke ?
- Mechanical thrombectomy
In which situations is a mechanical thrombectomy performed?
- Patients with an occlusion of the large cerebral artery
- must be within 24 hours of a stroke
- Patient receives rt-PA first (if before 4.5 hours)
What are the details of how a mechanical thrombectomy occurs?
- Stent inserted through femoral artery to correct occlusion in cerebral artery –> it collects the clot and keeps the artery open so the body can remove the clot
What are the downsides of a mechanical thrombectomy?
- Patient MUST receive the rt-PA first so very SMALL subset of patients (could be clinical trials though where you don’t have to receive it)
- Performed in patients with an occlusion in the LARGE cerebral artery…so not for smaller vessels
- You need ADVANCED surgery equipment for this so less access and only in built up hospitals (not rural)