Paramedic Practice Case Study

1152 Words3 Pages

Epidemiology /Incidence of the Patient’s Clinical Presentation and relevance to paramedic practice Cerebral vascular accidents are becoming a predominant health issue within society, effecting approximately 51,000 Australians each year (1,2), and has been identified as the second most common cause of death within communities. The Australian Government currently spends in excess of $5 billion annually on treatments for cerebral vascular accidents with costs continuing to increase dramatically (2,3). Strokes are a major cause of mortality and one of the most common causes of permanent disability, statistics show that there is over 440,000 people living with the debilitating effects following strokes in Australia alone (2,3). Two classifications …show more content…

In cerebral vascular attacks, maintaining airway, breathing and circulation is the main focus (6). It essential to keep the airway open and clear of any objects. With the patient presenting hemiparesis, it is possible the patient may have blockage in the airway through the loss of ability to maintain the airway themselves, such as loss of muscle tone to tongue and loss of control to muscles in the airway (1,6). The patient presents with a Sp02 level of 99% which is normal, oxygenation and ventilation is not immediately required but respiratory rate, rhythm and Sp02 must continue to be monitored (1, 6). Curtis and Ramsden suggest that providing a patient with high Sp02 levels with supplememtary oxygen may cause hyperoxia, and therefore increase the cerebral injury severity (14), causing more harm to the patient (15). It is recommended that the patient is placed on a 45 degree angle in order to increase cerebral perfusion and decrease cerebral oedema, or build up of fluid (6). Antiemetics can be administered if the patient feels nauseous or is vomiting, or prophylactically to protect airway if patient shows an altered level of consciousness. Circulation needs to be monitored as the patient has presented with a high pulse rate and also a raised blood pressure

More about Paramedic Practice Case Study

Open Document