Stroke Medications and Treatment
“Time is brain” is the repeated catch phrase when addressing the treatment and management of stroke (Saver, 2006). Access to prompt and appropriate medical care during the first few hours of stroke onset is critical to patient survival and outcomes. Recent changes in the guidelines for acute stroke care released by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Stroke Association (ASA) have improved patient access to treatment. Stroke treatment now follows the model of myocardial infarction treatment. Hospitals are categorized into four levels based on stroke treatment capability. The most specialized treatment is available in comprehensive stroke centers followed by primary stroke centers, acute stroke-ready hospitals, and community hospitals. The use of telemedicine now enables even community hospitals, with limited specialized capabilities, to care for stroke patients. Telemedicine puts emergency hospital personnel in contact with neurologists providing expertise in the evaluation of a stroke patient and determination of their eligibility for treatment with thrombolytic medication (Jefferey, 2013).
Ischemic Stroke
A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association stressed the importance of onset to treatment time as a factor in patient clinical outcomes. The study also indicated that early treatment of ischemic stroke with intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) resulted in fewer deaths, intracranial hemorrhage, and an overall better prognosis for patients post-stroke (Saver et al., 2012).
The clot-dissolving drug, also known as alteplase, is the only FDA approved medication for acute ischemic stroke and is recommended to be administered ...
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Stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is blocked or condensed. Blood works to transport oxygen and other beneficial substances to the body’s cells and organs, as well as the brain. There are two main types of strokes that are known as Ischemic strokes and Hemorrhagic strokes. When the blood vessels that provides for the brain becomes congested, is it referred to as ischemic stroke, the most common stroke within adults. Blood clots, a cluster of blood that sticks together, are the cause of Ischemic strokes. Ischemic strokes also takes place when arteries become backed up with plague, leaving less blood to flow. Plague is cholesterol, calcium and fibrous and connective tissue that sticks to the walls of blood vessels. Ischemic strokes eternally damage the brain and cause a person's body to no longer function habitually.Some risk factors that may increase stroke are high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity. Some stroke factors are also due to old age or having a family that has a history of strokes. Men are more likely to have a stroke but the most st...
Scientists are on the brink of doing the unthinkable-replenishing the brains of people who have suffered strokes or head injuries to make them whole again. If that is not astonishing enough, they think they may be able to reverse paralysis. The door is at last open to lifting the terrifying sentence these disorders still decree-loss of physical function, cognitive skills, memory, and personality.
Stroke units, introduced in the 1950's, have become an established essential component of an effective functioning stroke service, in the modern stroke services provided today. A stroke unit refers to organized inpatient care for stroke patients, provided by a multidisciplinary team that specialise in stroke management. The Stroke Unit Trialists Collaboration (SUTC) has carried out Cochrane reviews on stroke unit trials since 1997. Findings, from random trials and systematic reviews, have shown that the provision of care in a stroke unit can increase a patient’s chances of survival, which enables them to return home and regain independence in activities of daily life (Langhorne et al., 2012). Stroke units seem to benefit
The World Health Organisation (2013) explains that an Ischaemic stroke occurs as a result of a blood vessel becoming blocked by a clot, reducing the supply of oxygen to the brain and, therefore, damaging tissue. The rationale for selecting Mary for this discussion is; the author wishes to expand her evidenced based knowledge of stroke since it is the principal cause of disability and the third leading cause of mortality within the Scottish population (Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), 2008) and, therefore, a national priority. In response to this priority, the Scottish Government (2009) produced their ‘Better Heart Disease and Stroke Care Action Plan’. Additionally, they have introduced a HEAT target to ensure 90% of stroke patients get transferred to a specialised stroke unit on the day of admission to hospital (Scottish Government, 2012).
Stroke survivors or anyone with chronic illness and health providers remain hopeful and “realistic” by counting on each other. The patients while being realistic about the outcome of their disease, stay hopeful that each of their health care providers will give them the appropriate care and will make sure that they can live with their disease in the best way possible.
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After a stroke comes the process of recovery, and an important part of recovery is physical therapy. Naturally, you want the best physical therapy for you or your loved one, but what is best for one p stroke survivor may not be best for another. There are no typical stroke survivors, so no single program will work for a large group of people. The therapy services that are a best fit for you or your loved one will be based on a range of factors. The following are three of the most important.
Prevention includes decreasing risk factors, as well as possibly aspirin, statins, surgery to open up the arteries to the brain in those with problematic narrowing, and warfarin in those with atrial fibrillation. A stroke is often requires emergency care. An ischemic stroke, if detected within three to four and half hours, may be treatable with a medication that can break down the clot. Aspirin should be used. Some hemorrhagic strokes benefit from surgery. Treatment will give to recover lost function is called stroke rehabilitation and ideally takes place in a stroke
1. What is the difference between a. and a. Introduction The main aim of this report is to present and analyse the disease called Cerebrovascular Accident, popularly known as stroke. This disease affects the cerebrovascular system, which is a part of the cardiovascular system.
Stroke is a commonly known disease that is often fatal. This cellular disease occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted by either a blood clot halting the progress of blood cells in an artery, called an Ischemic stroke, or a blood vessel in the brain bursting or leaking causing internal bleeding in the brain, called a hemorrhagic stroke. When this happens, brain cells are deprived of oxygen and nutrients because the blood cells carrying these essential things are stopped, causing them to die. When the cells in the brain die, sensation or movement in a limb might be cut off and may limit an organism’s abilities. A person with stroke is affected depending on where in the brain the stroke occurs. In other words, symptoms of a stroke
Fischbach, Frances, A Manual of Laboratory & Diagnostic Tests, 4th ed., J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia
Stroke is a serious medical condition that affects people of all ages specifically older adults. People suffer from a stroke when there is decreased blood flow to the brain. Blood supply decreases due to a blockage or a rupture of a blood vessel which then leads to brain tissues dying. The two types of stroke are ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke. An ischemic stroke is caused by a blood clot blocking the artery that brings oxygenated blood to the brain. On the other hand, a hemorrhagic stroke is when an artery in the brain leaks or ruptures (“About Stroke,” 2013). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States and is a major cause of adult disability” (“About Stroke,” 2013). Stroke causes a number of disabilities and also leads to decreased mobility in over half of the victims that are 65 and older. The CDC lists several risk factors of stroke such as heredity, age, gender and ethnicity as well as medical conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and excessive weight gain that in...
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