Understanding Stroke Care

This document provides an in-depth understanding of stroke care, including the different types of stroke, their symptoms, and the reasons for different presentations. It also discusses the risk factors associated with strokes, preventative health measures, and the available investigations for diagnosis. Additionally, it covers the acute and long-term care post-stroke, the roles and interventions of the rehabilitation team, and evaluates the effectiveness of care in specialized stroke units.

Understanding Stroke
Care
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Contents
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................3
1.1: Explain the different types of cerebrovascular accident (CVA)...........................................3
1.2: Discuss the signs and symptoms of left sided and right sided cerebrovascular accident.....3
1.3: Analyse the reasons for different presentations of signs and symptoms with regard to
physiology of brain......................................................................................................................3
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................4
2.1: Discuss the risk factors associated with a cerebrovascular accident and preventative health
measures......................................................................................................................................4
2.2: Compare and contrast the available investigations associated with diagnosis of CVA.......4
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................5
3.1: Describe the acute and long-term care post CVA................................................................5
3.2: Discuss the roles and interventions of the rehabilitation team.............................................5
3.3: Evaluate the effectiveness of care in a specialised stroke unit on outcomes........................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6
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TASK 1
1.1: Explain the different types of cerebrovascular accident (CVA)
Cerebrovascular accident is also known as stroke which occurs when the flow of blood to a
part of brain is stopped either rupture of blood vessels or blockage. The cerebrovascular accident
is mainly of two types including haemorrhagic stroke or ischemic stroke. Haemorrhagic stock
occurs due to rupture of blood vessels which prevents blood from getting to brain part. In the
brain, haemorrhage may occur in membrane surrounding brain or in any vessel of blood in brain.
When the blood vessel is blocked by a blood clot and prevents oxygen and blood from getting to
brain, then ischemic stroke occurs. This can occur in two ways including thrombotic stroke and
embolic stroke. Apart from these types of strokes, the another types includes transient ischemic
attack, brain stem stroke and cryptogenic stroke (Dafer, ROsteraas, and Biller, 2020).
1.2: Discuss the signs and symptoms of left sided and right sided cerebrovascular accident
Signs and symptoms of left sided CVA:
The signs and symptoms of left sided cerebrovascular accident includes problems with
speech; issues in understanding language; right sided paralysis or weakness and sensory
impairment; memory issues; behavioral changes like consciousness, depression and hesitancy;
visual problems involving inability to see right visual field of eye; inability to learn, write and
read new information; and impaired ability to organize, do math, reason and analyses items.
Signs and symptoms of right sided CVA:
The symptoms and sign of right sided cerebrovascular accident includes inability to
recognize or localize body parts; left sided paralysis or weakness and sensory impairment;
memory problems; behavioral changes like impulsivity, depression, lack of concern regarding
situations and inappropriateness; inability to find objects like toiletry or clothing items and
inability to understand maps; spatial problems which deep perception or directions like front or
back and up or down; denial of impairment or paralysis and reduced insights into issues
developed by stroke (Feigin, Norrving, and Mensah, 2017).
1.3: Analyse the reasons for different presentations of signs and symptoms with regard to
physiology of brain
Brain is a nervous tissue organ which commands task evoked responses, emotions,
communication, memory, thinking, language, movement and senses. The human brain consists
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of three parts; the cerebrum, brain stem and cerebellum. The cerebrum controls the sensory and
motor information along with unconscious and conscious behaviour, memory, intelligence and
feelings. For abstract thinking and controlling speech, left hemisphere is responsible. Whereas, in
charge of spatial thinking is right hemisphere. The cerebellum controls voluntary movement
coordination. It gets sensory information from spinal cord and brain and fine tunes the accuracy
and precision of motor activity. The brain stem connect cerebellum and cerebral to spinal cord. It
performs autonomic functions like respiration, sneezing, swallowing, coughing, breathing, wake
sleep cycles, heart rate, temperature, digestion and vomiting (Katan, and Luft, 2018).
TASK 2
2.1: Discuss the risk factors associated with a cerebrovascular accident and preventative health
measures
The risk factors related to cerebrovascular accident cigarettes smoking, high blood
cholesterol levels, obesity, high fat diet but low in fibre, vegetables, salt and fruits, diabetes, lack
of regular exercise, heavy drinking and high blood pressure. The another risk factors includes
atrial fibrillation or kidney disease. The preventive health measures from cerebrovascular
accident includes regular exercise, stop smoking, appropriate lifestyle changes, having high fibre
and low fat diet, reduced intake of saturated fats, limited or moderate salt intake, antiplatelet
medications, limit alcohol intake and regular monitoring of blood pressure. All these measures
help in preventing CVA.
2.2: Compare and contrast the available investigations associated with diagnosis of CVA
The available investigations related to diagnosis of cardiovascular accident includes
computed tomography, MRI of head, blood tests, cerebral angiography, carotid ultrasound and
electrocardiogram. In computerized tomography, X-rays are taken by doctor from different
angles and put them collectively to show if any bleeding is there in brain. In carotid ultrasound,
sound waves are used to find out fatty deposits which may have block the arteries that carry
blood to brain (Zhao, Rudd, and Liu, 2020). In MRI, powerful magnets and radio waves are used
to make descriptive picture of brain. Magnetic resonance imaging is sharper in comparison to
computerised tomography and can show damages or injuries earlier than traditional
computerized tomography. All these investigations are available and related with diagnosis of
cardiovascular accident.
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TASK 3
3.1: Describe the acute and long-term care post CVA
The acute and long-term care post cardiovascular accident involves preventing from
further complications and promote early recovery. It involves assisting the patient to survive,
taking care of other medical issues and preventing another stroke. Rehabilitation is also a part of
treatment for stroke patients. It assists an individual to keep abilities and get the lost abilities
back to become more independent.
3.2: Discuss the roles and interventions of the rehabilitation team
The role of rehabilitation team includes assist the patient to function as autonomously as
possible. The rehabilitation team provides the patient with optimal surroundings for neurological
recovery and different compensatory approaches are administered and taught in order to promote
recovery and assist with daily living task (Quenardelle, and et. al., 2016). The help individuals to
maintain, restore and enhance movement, functioning and activity and thereby allow patients to
perform optimally and improve health and quality of life. The interventions provided by
rehabilitation team includes exercise, therapies and medications which help in early recovery of
patient.
3.3: Evaluate the effectiveness of care in a specialised stroke unit on outcomes
Effective treatment of cerebrovascular accident or stroke can prevent an individual from
long term disability and save their life. In specialised stroke unit, providing proper care to the
patient results into effective outcomes. This will help in early recovery of an individual and
improving their lives. It also helps them in preventing from further complications and improve
the chances of their survival. In stroke units, the organised care outcomes into benefit for the
patients of stroke in regards of independence, survival and probability of living.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Dafer, R.M., Osteraas, N.D. and Biller, J., 2020. Acute stroke care in the coronavirus disease
2019 pandemic.
Feigin, V.L., Norrving, B. and Mensah, G.A., 2017. Global burden of stroke. Circulation
research, 120(3), pp.439-448.
Katan, M. and Luft, A., 2018, April. Global burden of stroke. In Seminars in neurology (Vol. 38,
No. 2, pp. 208-211). Georg Thieme Verlag.
Quenardelle, V., and et. al., 2016. Stroke mimics in a stroke care pathway based on MRI
screening. Cerebrovascular Diseases, 42(3-4), pp.205-212.
Zhao, J., Rudd, A. and Liu, R., 2020. Challenges and potential solutions of stroke care during the
coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.
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