Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Cerebrovascular Accident
- Diagnosis
- Two Types of Cerebrovascular Accidents
- Hemorrhagic Stroke
- Can occur after spine and joint injuries as
well
- Spinal surgery can lead to dura mater tears,
which causes cerebrospinal fluid leakage
- CSF leakage displaces cerebellar, causing stretching and
tearing, leading to hemorrhagic stroke
- High Mortality Rate
- Accounts for 15% of all
strokes
- But 40% of all stroke deaths are attributed to Hemorrhagic Stroke
- Occurs when there is a brain aneurysm or a blood vessel
leak
- Leakeage of blood into the brain causes
swelling and pressure, damaging brain
cells and tissue
- Two types of Hemorrhagic Stroke
- Intracerebral Hemorrhage (ICH)
- Primary ICH is caused by the
spontaneous rupture of small vessels
- Accounts for 78-88% of
ICH cases
- Haematoma results from the rupture of an artery,
causing extravasation of blood
- Haematoma initiates inflammation, leading to
edema and neural damage
- Subsequent clotting results in disruption of the blood
brain barrier, leading to cytotoxicity and more edema
- Haematoma can expand because of
continued bleeding from ruptured artery
- Expansion distorts and
compresses surrounding
tissue
- Phagocytosis is used to keep erythrocytes from
undergoing cell lysis, and leaking toxic contents
into brain tissue
- In ICH, hemolysis occurs, in which the body reponds
by releasing Haptoglobin which binds to Hemoglobin
to reduce its toxicity and help with phagocytosis
- Cell lysis causes toxicity in red blood cells
which forms free radicals
- Leads to oxidative cell damage
- Neutrophils appear, followed by
macrophages, initiating phagocytosis of
blood products and necrotic tissue
- Secondary ICH is associated with trauma,
vascular diseases, tumours, and impaired
coagulation
- Subarachnoid
Hemorrhage
- Involves bleeding in the subarachnoid space, the area between the
pia and arachnoid membranes
- Most often caused by burst aneurysm
and trauma
- Also associated with arteriovenous
malformation (tangling of blood vessels
causing extravasation of blood), bleeding
disorders, and use of blood thinners
- Blood in the subarachnoid space causes inflammation
of brain tissue (meningitis), which increases
intracranial pressure
- Blood from an aneurysm leaks into the
cerebrospinal fluid, forming a clot which
irritates and damages nearby tissue and brain
cells
- Blood blocks CSF circulation,
increasing pressure on the brain
- Hydrocephalus
- Fluid buildup enlarges ventricles, causing lethargy,
confusion, and incontinence in patient
- Vasospasms
- Blood vessels at base of the brain develops
spasms or narrowing, decreasing blood
flow to te brain, causing stroke
- Bleeding can cause paralysis, coma, and
death
- Accounts for 5% of all
strokes
- Occurs when there is poor blood flow to an area of the brain
- Diagnostic Studies
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging
(MRI)
- Uses magnets and radio waves to create an image
of organs and structures in the body
- Echocardiogram
- Determines whether there are blood
clots in the heart using sound waves
- Other Diagnostic
Tests
- Carotid Doppler
- Ultrasound used to assess blood flow in
carotid arteries for narrowing and plaques
- Cerebral
Arteriogram
- X-ray images that show narrowing, blockage, or
malformations of arteries in the brain
- More accurate than carotid doppler or MRI
- Lumbar Puncture
- Needle is inserted into lower back to
obtain a sample of CSF
- Used to diagnose subarachnoid hemorrhages
- CAT Scan
- Shows areas of bleeding in the brain using
x-rays
- Ischemic Stroke
- Occurs when there is a loss of blood supply to the brain
- Three factors for an ischemic
stroke
- Embolism
- Blood clot that traveled from another
part of the body
- Thrombosis
- Blood clot that occurs in the
affected artery
- All of these conditions lead to depletion of oxygen
and glucose
- ATP production becomes impaired
- Loss of potassium and ATP
- Can cause occlusion and apoptosis
- Inadequate energy impairs ion pump
functioning, resuting in an inflow of water
- Causes cytotoxic edema in neurons and glia
- Ischemia stimulates release of excitatory
neurotransmitters, glutamate and aspartate
- Neurotransmitters release enzymes which
produce free radicals which damage cell
membranes and proteins in neurons
- Leads to apoptosis
- Not all Ischemic attacks
lead to cell death
- It is possible to reperfuse the
ischemic penumbra (area
surrounding the core ischemic zone)
- If blood flow is restored early, cells within the
core ischemic zone can be saved
- Lacunar Infarct
- Artery is blocked because of
damage to the arterial wall
- Accounts for 85-90% of acute strokes
- Extent of damage is dependent on
duration, location, and severity of
ischemia
- Assessment
- Risk Factors for
CVA
- Family history of a genetic disorder
- Cardioembolic
- Large artery disease
- Predisposes to prothrombotic
state
- Hematological disorders
- Anemia
- Sickle Cell Disease
- Antithrombin deficiency
- Mitochondrial Diseases
- Hypertension
- Diabetes
- Smoking
- Alcohol
- Cocaine, Meth, MDMA
- Hyperlipidemia
- Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency
- Signs and Symptoms of CVA
- Sudden onset of
severe headache
- Nausea/ Vomiting
- Neck Pain
- Loss of consciousness
- Seizure
- Delirium
- Photophobia
- Physical Manifestations
- BP elevation
- Temperature increase
- Tachycardia
- Papilledema
- Retinal Hemorrhage
- Numbness,
weakness, or
paralysis
- Treatment
- Complications