Research and Plan

This report provides information on the diagnosis and treatment of stroke, including the types of strokes, symptoms, and available treatments. It emphasizes the importance of immediate medical attention and proper diagnosis for effective treatment and prevention of brain damage. The report also highlights the need for increased awareness and knowledge about stroke to improve patient outcomes and quality of life.

Research and Plan

Table of Contents
Table of Contents.............................................................................................................................2
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Research (1.1).........................................................................................................................3
Evaluation of the research (1.2)..............................................................................................4
Planning (2.1).........................................................................................................................5
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................5
References........................................................................................................................................6

Introduction
Stroke is a type of medical emergency which is caused when the blood supply to brain is
interrupted or reduced which prevents the supply of oxygen and nutrients to brain cells which
then begin to die within minutes. Prompt action during a stroke can help in reducing brain
damage and complications that can arise due to stroke (Dong and Du, 2018). Abrupt blockage of
the arteries leading to brain (ischemic stroke) or bleeding of the blood vessel into brain tissue
(hemorrhagic stroke) are the two ways through which stroke can occur in a person.
Research (1.1)
Stroke is an emergency medical condition which needs immediate attention to the patient so that
the brain damage can be reduced and complications can be prevented. Blood is carried to the
brain cells through a complex network of arteries and vessels which can get ruptured or blocked
due to certain reasons leading to brain stroke. Globally stroke is the second leading reason for the
death of people of all age groups which increases social and economic burdens on the society.
There are various symptoms which can be payed attention to so that the occurrence of stroke can
be identified. Numbness or weakness in arm, face, leg specially on one side, confusion or trouble
in understanding or speaking, problem with eyesight in either one or both the eyes, dizziness,
problem in walking straight or being able to maintain balance or coordination, severe headache
without knowing the cause behind it etc. are certain symptoms of occurrence of stroke (Cooksey
and Balachandran, 2016). There are two main types of strokes which are ischemic stroke or
haemorrhagic stroke in which the former one is caused due to blood clot in the arteries which
carry blood to brain cells while the latter one is caused due to the rupture of the artery or vessel
which leads to the flow of blood in brain tissues. There are certain reasons which cause to the
narrowing or blockage in the brain arteries like smoking, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes,
high cholesterol levels etc. Haemorrhagic strokes are less common types of strokes which can be
caused by reasons like being overweight, drinking excessive amount of alcohol, smoking, lack of
exercise, stress etc. which can lead to the rupture of blood vessels in brain.
Ischemic stroke can be caused due to the presence of a family history of stroke which can
help the doctors in considering the possibility of stroke as the reason for slurred speech,
confusion etc. Based on the family history the doctors can also gain an idea regarding the
location of blockage. In order to determine the type of stroke so that proper treatment can be

given to the patients head CT scan or head MRI can be used so that the condition of stroke can
be diagnosed. Other tests like blood tests, electrocardiography or cerebral angiography,
electrocardiogram (ECG), carotid ultrasound etc. can also be used. Treatments for ischemic
stroke are:
 Emergency IV medication: In this therapy with drugs is given to the patient within 4.5
hours of start of symptoms. An IV injection of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator
(tPA) is given to the patient through vein of arm which help in dissolving the blood clot.
 Emergency endovascular procedures: In this the doctors treat the stroke directly inside
the blocked blood vessel in which either medication is directly delivered to the brain or
use of stent retriever is done to remove the blood clot (Liberman and Prabhakaran, 2017).
Treatments for hemorrhagic stroke are:
 Emergency measures: Medications that can help in making the blood thick, lower blood
pressure, prevent spasms of blood vessels and prevent seizures can be given.
 Surgery: In this a surgery can be done so that blood vessel can be repaired or the blood
can be removed so that brain can be relieved.
 Surgical clipping: In this method the surgeon can place a tiny clip at the base of
aneurysm so that blood flow can be stopped which can also prevent the blood vessel from
bursting in future.
Sources of data collection:
Diagnosis of stroke .2020. [Online] Available through: <https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-
conditions/stroke/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20350119>
Symptoms of stroke .2020. [Online] Available through:
<https://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=stroke>
Treatment of stroke .2020. [Online] Available through: <https://www.stroke.org/en/about-
stroke/treatment>
Evaluation of the research (1.2)
From the above research it can be said that stroke is a serious medical condition which
needs immediate attention so that the damage of brain can be prevented and the standard of
living of people can be improved. There are two types of strokes that can occur in people and
stroke can also be dependent on the family history of the patient. It is important that the
symptoms of a stroke are closely monitored so that immediate medical help can be provided to
the patient which can help in preventing major loss to the brain (Siegel and Freeman, 2017). It is
important that correct diagnosis of stroke is done so that proper treatment can be given to the

patient based on the type of stroke which is suffered by the patient. Stroke is one of the leading
causes of deaths in people which means that effective treatments is given to the patients so that
they can recover quickly from it and their standard of living can also be improved.
The above image can help in understanding the difference between the two types of strokes
that can occur in the brain arteries. In both the conditions there can occur great loss to the brain
cells which can prevented by taking effective and immediate actions (Wong, Caplan and Kim,
2016).
Planning (2.1)
In this report we have included the research on the topic relating to diagnosis and treatment
of the stroke and an evaluation is done so that the topic can be well understood which can help in
increasing the knowledge related to the topic.
Conclusion
From the above report it can be concluded that stroke is a serious medical condition
which needs proper diagnosis and treatment o that the life of patient can be saved and also the
life expectancy of population of the society can be increased. It can also be said that the
condition of stroke can be treated and well prevented by improving the eating and drinking
habits and including physical exercises in daily routines.

References
Books and journals
Cooksey, J.A. and Balachandran, J.S., 2016. Portable monitoring for the diagnosis of
OSA. Chest, 149(4), pp.1074-1081.
Dong, R., Dong, Z., Liu, H., Shi, F. and Du, J., 2018. Prevalence, risk factors, outcomes, and
treatment of obstructive sleep apnea in patients with cerebrovascular disease: a
systematic review. Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases, 27(6), pp.1471-
1480.
Liberman, A.L. and Prabhakaran, S., 2017. Stroke chameleons and stroke mimics in the
emergency department. Current neurology and neuroscience reports, 17(2), p.15.
Siegel, J., Pizzi, M.A., Peel, J.B., Alejos, D., Mbabuike, N., Brown, B.L., Hodge, D. and
Freeman, W.D., 2017. Update on neurocritical care of stroke. Current cardiology
reports, 19(8), p.67.
Wong, K.S., Caplan, L.R. and Kim, J.S., 2016. Stroke mechanisms. In Intracranial
Atherosclerosis: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis and Treatment (Vol. 40, pp. 58-71).
Karger Publishers.