Chapter 13 Neurologic Emergencies

Front 1

absence seizure
(petit mal seizure)

Back 1

seixure that may be characterized by brief lapse of attention in which the PT may stare and does not respond

Front 2

aphasia

Back 2

the inability to understand or produce speech

Front 3

arterial rupture

Back 3

rupture of a cerebral artery that may contribute to interruption of cerebral blood flow

Front 4

atherosclerosis

Back 4

a disorder in which cholesterol and calciu, build up inside the walls of blood vessels, forming plaque, which eventually leads to partial or complete blockage of blood flow; plaque of this type can also become a site where blood clots can form, break off, and embolize elsewhere in the circulation

Front 5

aura

Back 5

a sensation experienced prior to a seizure; serves as a warning sign that a seizure is about to occur

Front 6

cerebral embolism

Back 6

obstruction of a cerebral artery caused by a clot that was formed elsewhere in the body and traveled to the brain

Front 7

cerebrovascular accident (CVA)

Back 7

an interruption of blood flow to the brain that results in the loss of brain function

Front 8

coma

Back 8

a state of profound unconsciousness from which one cannot be roused

Front 9

coup-contracoup brain injury

Back 9

a brain injury that occurs when force is applied to the head and energy transmission through brain tissue causes injury on the opposite side of original impact

Front 10

dysarthria

Back 10

the inability to pronounce speech clearly, often due to loss of the nerves or brain cells that control the small muscles in the larynx

Front 11

expressive aphasia

Back 11

a speech disorder in which a person can understand what is being said but cannot produce the right sounds in order to speak properly

Front 12

febrile seizures

Back 12

convulsions that result from sudden high fevers (particularly in children)

Front 13

generalized seizure (grand mal seizure)

Back 13

seizure characterized by severe twitching of all the body's muscles that may last several minutes or more

Front 14

hemiparesis

Back 14

weakness on one side of the body

Front 15

hemorrhagic stroke

Back 15

one of the two main types of strokes; occurs as a result of bleeding inside the brain

Front 16

hypoglycemia

Back 16

a condition characterized by low blood glucose levels

Front 17

incontinence

Back 17

loss of bowel and bladder control due to a generalized seizure

Front 18

infarcted cells

Back 18

cells in the brain that die as a result of loss of blood flow to the brain

Front 19

ischemia

Back 19

a lack of O2 in the cells of the brain that cause them to not function properly

Front 20

ischemia stroke

Back 20

one of the two main types of strokes;occurs when blood flow to a particular part of the brain is cut off by a blockage/clot inside a blood vessel

Front 21

postictal state

Back 21

period following a seizure that lasts between 5 to 30 minutes, characterized by labored respirations and some degree of altered mental status

Front 22

receptive aphasia

Back 22

a speech disorder in which a person has trouble understanding speech but is able to speak clearly

Front 23

seizure

Back 23

generalized, uncoordinated muscular activity associated with loss of consciousness; a convulsion

Front 24

status epilepticus

Back 24

a condition in which seizures recur every few minutes or last more than 30 minutes

Front 25

stroke

Back 25

a loss of brain function in certain brain cells that do not get enough O2 during a CVA. usually caused by obstruction of the blood vessels in the brain that feed O2 to those brain cells.

Front 26

thrombosis

Back 26

clotting of the cerebral arteries that may result in the interruption of cerebral blood flow and subsequent stroke

Front 27

tonic-clonic

Back 27

a type of seizure that features rhythmic back-and-forth motion of an extremity and body stiffness

Front 28

transient ischemic attack (TIA)

Back 28

a disorder of the brain in which brain cells temporarily stop working because of insufficient O2, causing stroke-like symptoms that resolve completely within 24 hrs of onset.

Front 29

3 Keys Test for assessing Stroke

Back 29

1. facial droop- ask PT to smile
2. arm drift- ask PT to close eyes and hold arms out with palms up
3. speech- ask PT to say, "The sky is blue in cincinnati."

Front 30

3 Conditions that may stimulate stroke

Back 30

1. hypoglycemia
2. postictal state
3. subdural or epidural bleeding

Front 31

Glasgow coma scale

Back 31

- eye opening
- best verbal response
- best motor response

Front 32

Common Causes of Seizures

Back 32

epileptic, structural (tumor, infection, scar tissue, head trauma, stroke), metabolic (hypoxia, hypoglycemia, poisoning, drug overdose, sudden withdrawal from medication or alcohol), febrile (sudden high fever),