Posts Tagged stroke patient
What Are the Signs of a Stroke?
This year about 800,000 Americans will experience the signs of stroke, and will suffer a stroke of some kind. Stroke happens when blood supply to the brain is interrupted, resulting in damage to the brain tissue. One-third of stroke survivors will have another one within 5 years. Each year strokes claim about 160,000 lives in the United States. Of the 640,000 who survive, many will have long-term disabilities that will effect their quality of life, physical appearance, and their capacity to earn a living.
Early detection
Early detection of the signs of stroke and symptoms of stroke make it much more likely that you’ll survive and have fewer lasting effects.
The National Stroke Association uses an anagram to remind people to act “F.A.S.T.” if you think someone may be having a stroke. Here are some easy things you can do to tell:
F – FACE Ask the person to smile. If one side of the face droops, this is one of the signs of stroke.
A – ARMS Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
S – SPEECH Say a simple sentence and ask the person to repeat it. Are the words slurred and incomprehensible?
T – TIME If you can answer “yes”, to any of the above questions, you need to call 911 immediately. Every second counts during a stroke.
Recently there has been an email going around that is saying another one of the signs of stroke that you could look for in place of the “T” is to have the person stick out their TONGUE. If their tongue is ‘crooked’, if it goes to one side or the other, this is one of the signs of stroke.
While this is also likely true, as a test it is not as valuable than the other three because there is room for interpretation of the results. How ‘crooked’ is crooked? How far to one side does it have to go before you might say it’s definitely one of the signs of stroke? The other three test mentioned above are better to use (smile, raise both arms, speak a simple sentence) and are very easy to determine if there is a problem.
When stroke strikes
Even with quick intervention, strokes can result in long-term disability. Depending on what people can afford, stroke patients may decide to have rehab in a hospital or long-term care facility. Others may even get help in the comfort of their own homes. With therapy, patents can relearn and regain basic activities of daily living such as speaking, eating, getting dressed and walking.
Costs of care
As with all medical care, treatment for stroke patients can be very costly. The 2009 annual cost of stroke is expected to reach $68.9 billion according to the American Heart Association.
Not very many families today are ready to handle the high costs of health care. Especially in today’s economy, it’s very difficult to have extra expenses beyond your normal household budget. Not surprisingly, about half of all personal bankruptcies filed in the U.S. are attributed in part to medical bills.
Cost-saving solution
Recognizing the signs of stroke and the costs of stroke are critical. But you really shouldn’t stop there.
Supplemental health insurance policies provide financial support when an individual is diagnosed with a stroke. These policies, also known as critical illness insurance, provide cash that can be used however you want. A person can use money to cover medical bills, pay for living expenses, or pay for assisted care.
When the signs of stroke are caught early, the long-term effects can be alleviated. And when individuals prepare themselves with a critical illness plan, they gain the peace of mind that comes from securing their personal and financial future.
Tags: brain, having a stroke, health, health insurance, heart, hospital, insurance, mental health, mental health insurance, national stroke association, rehab, signs of a stroke, signs of stroke, stroke, stroke patient, stroke patients, stroke survivors, strokes, symptoms of stroke, treatment, treatment for stroke, treatment for stroke patients, what are the signs of a strokeRelated posts
Ischemic and Hemorrhagic Stroke
Hopefully you never had to endure a situation of someone close to you to suffer from transient ischemic attach (TIA), also known as mini stoke, or from a stroke. In any case, you should be familiar with both kinds of stroke as they both destroy brain tissue and can produce similar long-term effects. But there are important differences in what causes them and in the symptoms that tell you which kind of stroke is happening.
Ischemic Stroke:
According to statistics, 80 percent of strokes belong to the ischemic stroke kind. These mini-strokes occur when blood flow to the brain is blocked by plaque-clogged arteries or by blood clots. This means that blood is not circulating properly inside the brain causing brain cells to die if even for a few minutes no oxygen is transmitted to them via the blood.
- Symptoms: Sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body; difficulty speaking or understanding speech; trouble seeing in one or both eyes; dizziness and a sudden loss of balance; falling in and out of consciousness; chest pain and shortness of breath. These last three symptoms are less-brain-centered and are more commonly experienced by women.
Hemorrhagic Stroke:
These brain hemorrhages happen when a blood vessel in the brain bursts, spilling blood into the surrounding tissue. There are various causes of these bursts. The most frequent is the rupture of an aneurysm, a weak spot on the wall of an artery that happens to be in your brain-aneurysms can occur elsewhere in the body, too. Experts point out that women are twice as likely as men to have an aneurysm in the brain and are more likely to have multiple aneurysms than men. Two other causes for bleeding in the brain are: hypertension, which can create enough pressure to break an artery wall, and arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in the brain. This is a snarl of defective blood vessels and capillaries whose thin walls are prone to rupture.
- Symptoms: A sudden violent headache, as if cracking a fault like through the brain’s delicate architecture. The patient may also suffer from blurred vision or nausea.
If you ever suspect you might be having a TIA or stroke or believe you are witnessing someone else having one, make sure 911 (or your local emergency unit) be called immediately. Tell the dispatcher that, if possible, you want to be transported to a hospital with a stroke center. Do not attempt to drive to the emergency room yourself. Stroke patients who arrive at the hospital by ambulance are evaluated sooner by an ER physician, get the necessary testing and are admitted to the hospital or intensive-care unit more frequently than those who arrive by taxi or car. Most importantly, bring someone prepared to advocate for you or the patient. Be prepared by being informed and act fast!
Tags: balance, blood clot, blood vessel, blood vessels, brain, brain hemorrhage, chest pain, dizziness, headache, hemorrhage, hemorrhagic, hemorrhagic stroke, hospital, ischemic, ischemic attach, ischemic stroke, of the body, shortness of breath, stroke, stroke center, stroke patient, stroke patients, strokes, testing, transient ischemic, transient ischemic attachRelated posts
New Treatment of a Heat Stroke Patient
Heat stroke is the most severe form of heat illness and is a life-threatening emergency. It is the result of long, extreme exposure to the sun, in which a person does not sweat enough to lower body temperature. The elderly, infants, persons who work outdoors and those on certain types of medications are most susceptible to heat stroke. It is a condition that develops rapidly and requires immediate medical treatment….(more information www.drraomd.com)
What causes heat stroke
Our bodies produce a tremendous amount of internal heat and we normally cool ourselves by sweating and radiating heat through the skin. However, in certain circumstances, such as extreme heat, high humidity or vigorous activity in the hot sun, this cooling system may begin to fail, allowing heat to build up to dangerous levels.
If a person becomes dehydrated and can not sweat enough to cool their body, their internal temperature may rise to dangerously high levels, causing heat stroke
new heat stroke treatment
It is important for the person to be treated immediately as heat stroke can cause permanent damage or death. There are some immediate first aid measures you can take while waiting for help to arrive.
Get the person indoors. Remove clothing and gently apply cool water to the skin followed by fanning to stimulate sweating.
Apply ice packs to the groin and armpits.
Have the person lie down in a cool area with their feet slightly elevated
Intravenous fluids are often necessary to compensate for fluid or electrolyte loss. Bed rest is generally advised and body temperature may fluctuate abnormally for weeks after heat stroke
In a case of Critical Care, Broessner and coworkers [1] claim to have successfully treated a patient with heat stroke by using a specific cooling device. We should like to raise some important issues.
Tags: bodies, heat illness, heat stroke, heat stroke treatment, infant, level, levels, stroke, stroke patient, stroke treatment, treatmentRelated posts
Related Information
