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Cerebrovascular Accidents: A Case Study

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Stokes also known as cerebrovascular accidents are the third leading cause of death in the United States and the leading cause of disability (Huether & McCane, 2012, p.389). Over 75% of stokes occurs in individuals 65 and older. The mildest form of stoke can be so minimal that it is almost unnoticed, however in serve form it can leave the individual with hemiplegia, coma, and even death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemia strokes and hemorrhagic strokes. Ischemia stroke occurs when there is a blockage of an artery and hemorrhagic stroke are strokes that is caused by bleeding. Over 87% of stokes are ischemic (John Hopkins, n.d.) During an ischemic stroke even the brain cells and tissue dies due to lack of oxygen and nutrients. Ischemic stroke can be further divided into two groups including thrombotic strokes and embolic strokes.

In a thrombotic stroke a blood clot of thrombus develops in the …show more content…
Embolic clots usually obstruct the bifurcation of the small brain vessels or at other point of narrowing, resulting in ischemia (Huether & McCane, 2012, p.389). An embolic stroke occurs rapidly and usually without any warning signs (John Hopkins, n.d.). A risk factor for embolic stroke includes atrial fibrillation, ventricular aneurysm, recent myocardial infarction, prosthetic heart valves, and other cardiac conditions. Up to 15% of embolic strokes cases are from people who have arterial fibrillation (John Hopkins, n.d.).

Stokes are important health condition that can be detrimental to life. There are many different types of stokes to understand however, the common on are ischemic strokes which includes thrombotic and embolic strokes. It is important to what these strokes are and risk factors for them. As many as 25% of stroke victims have a recurrent stoke within five years after their initial stoke (John Hopkins,

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