Transcript PowerPoint Presentation - Cerebral Vascular Accident (CVA) Stroke

Cerebral Vascular Accident (CVA)
Stroke - Overview
 Third leading cause of
death in industrialized
countries.
 Total cost of strokes in
the U.S. is roughly $43
billion a year.
 $15,000 a year in medical
care costs during the first
3 months after the attack.
 Age is the principal risk
factor.
 Most strokes occur after
the age of 65
 More common in men
 Second greatest risk
factor is high blood
pressure
 Transient Ischemic Attack
(TIA) - Symptoms are
temporary but should be
seen as a warning sign
that a stroke is likely to
occur.
Incidence
 Approximately 500k Americans each year
 3 million Americans have survived strokes
 2 million Americans subsequently suffer
from paralysis, speech & memory loss.
Symptoms
 Depends on the type
of stroke and location
of the lesion
 Contra-lateral
impairment
 Hemiparesis weakness on one side
of the body - entire
side; face, arm, or leg
 Drooping of the
mouth
 Drooling
 Numbness on one side
 Loss of vision in one
visual field (transient
monocular blindness)
 Dysarthria (slurred
speech)
Symptoms cont’d
 Visual disturbances
e.g. double vision,
altered visual
perception
 Aphasia - difficulties
with expressive
and/or receptive
language; can not
name objects
 Vertigo - dizziness,
spinning sensation,
imbalance
 Memory difficulties
 Behavioral or
personality changes
 Swallowing
Causes
 Ischemic Stroke
 85% of all strokes are
from ischemia
 Lack of blood flow, or
major disturbance of
blood flow due to the
obstruction of a blood
vessel
 Atherosclerosis - an
accumulation of
plaque, cholesterol,
and blood clots forms
to the point of
impeding subsequent
blood flow.
Causes cont’d
 Intracranial
Hemorrhage
 15% of strokes caused
from hemorrhage
(bleeding) in the brain
 Hypertension,
bleeding from tumors,
trauma, illicit drug
use, high blood
pressure
 Pt.s experience a
sudden headache,
vomiting, depressed
level of consciousness
 Some symptoms are
caused by pressure
associated with blood
accumulation which is
referred to as a
hematoma
Warning Signs
 Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm,
or leg, especially if it is unilateral
 Sudden confusion, difficulty speaking or
understanding speech
 Sudden difficulty seeing in one or both eyes
 Sudden difficulty walking dizziness, loss of
balance or coordination
 Sudden severe headache with no known cause