Stroke Essay

Stroke is a clinical syndrome produced by acute interruption of the normal blood flow to an area of the brain. This then causes the brain to lose important nutrients as well as oxygen which will prevent it to keep functioning up to par. This is a consequence from a thrombosis, intracranial hemorrhage, or embolism, which causes vascular insufficiency. The outcome is persistent dysfunction related to the affected structures. There are many ways that strokes may occur, they can be cardiogenic or hemorrhagic. Stroke can happen at any age from the youth to the elderly. In most cases it occurs suddenly and could take from five to seven days to completely affect the person. If not treated or found on early onset, stroke can not only cause extreme harm but can also be fatal. Some people recover fully, while others only recover to some extent. Each year people in America die from a stroke or are seriously disabled. Although most cases are preventable, Stroke is still the 3rd leading cause of death in the United States.

Classification

Stroke can be thrombotic (local formation of a clot), embolic a clot traveling from a remote place in the body), or hemorrhagic (bleeding into the brain). Ischemic stroke is characterized by the sudden loss of blood circulation to an area of the brain, reacting in a corresponding loss of neurologic function. Acute ischemic stroke is more common than hemorrhagic stroke, and is caused by thrombotic or embolic occlusion of a cerebral artery.” Hemorrhagic stroke is less common than ischemic stroke and epidemiologic studies indicate that only 8-18% of strokes are hemorrhagic. However, hemorrhagic stroke is more associated with high mortality rates than mortality in ischemic stroke is.” (Broderick, 2007)

Etiolog...

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..., and initiate administration of mannitol for further control. Rapidly stabilize vital signs, and simultaneously acquire an emergent computed tomography (CT) scan.”

Conclusion

The challenge with these therapies is that they require administration within hours of stroke onset, making it significant to educate at-risk patients, getting early recognition of stroke signs, quick transport to the hospital, and rapid hospital triage and evaluation. With stroke being the third leading causes of death in the United States, it is consequential that patients know it can be prevented. “It starts with managing key risk factors, including high blood pressure, cigarette smoking, atrial fibrillation and physical inactivity. more than half of all strokes are caused by uncontrolled hypertension or high blood pressure, making it the most important risk factor to control.” (Egan,2010)