Stroke & TIA
This acronym helps to quickly identify the signs and symptoms of a stroke.
What is BE FAST (Balance, Eyes, Face, Arm, Speech, Time)?
This term describes a generalized tonic-clonic seizure lasting longer than 5 minutes, or recurrent seizures without full recovery of consciousness between them.
What is status epilepticus?
This neurological scoring system is used to assess a patient's level of consciousness after head injury.
What is the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)?
Progressive, ascending paralysis with absent deep tendon reflexes is characteristic of this autoimmune disorder.
What is Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS)?
Visual field deficits, often unilateral, are a common symptom of a stroke affecting this lobe of the brain.
What is the occipital lobe?
This type of stroke is caused by a clot blocking blood flow to the brain.
What is an ischemic stroke?
The first-line medication class for acute management of status epilepticus in the ED.
What are benzodiazepines (ex. lorazepam, midazolam, diazepam)?
A collection of blood between the dura mater and the skull, often caused by arterial bleeding and characterized by a lucid interval.
What is an epidural hematoma?
This autoimmune disorder causes fluctuating muscle weakness that worsens with activity and improves with rest, often affecting the eyes and face first.
What is Myasthenia Gravis?
Meningismus, photophobia, fever, and sudden altered mental status are classic signs of this central nervous system infection.
What is meningitis?
For eligible patients, this clot-busting medication can be administered within a specific time window for acute ischemic stroke.
What is tissue plasminogen activator (tPA or alteplase)?
This phase of a tonic-clonic seizure is characterized by muscle rigidity and loss of consciousness.
What is the tonic phase?
Cushing's Triad, a sign of increased intracranial pressure, includes hypertension, bradycardia, and this.
What is an irregular respiratory pattern (e.g., Cheyne-Stokes)?
A patient with a known history of Myasthenia Gravis presenting with severe respiratory distress is likely experiencing this.
What is a Myasthenic Crisis?
This type of headache is typically unilateral, pulsating, accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound.
What is a migraine?
A temporary episode of neurological dysfunction caused by focal brain, spinal cord, or retinal ischemia, without acute infarction.
What is a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)?
After a generalized seizure, a patient may experience a period of confusion, drowsiness, and partial amnesia, known as this.
What is the post-ictal state?
To reduce intracranial pressure, the head of the bed should be elevated to this degree, and the neck maintained in a neutral position.
What is 30 degrees?
This life-threatening complication of malignant hyperthermia or neuroleptic malignant syndrome can cause severe muscle rigidity, fever, and rhabdomyolysis.
What is a rhabdomyolysis?
This disorder causes sudden, brief unilateral facial weakness, often preceded by a viral illness, and is a diagnosis of exclusion.
What is Bell's Palsy?
A sudden, severe headache described as "the worst headache of my life" is a classic symptom of this type of hemorrhagic stroke.
What is subarachnoid hemorrhage?
A patient presenting with focal weakness or paralysis following a seizure that eventually resolves is experiencing this phenomenon.
What is Todd's Paralysis?
This type of bleed, often seen in elderly or anticoagulated patients, is a collection of blood between the dura and arachnoid mater, usually venous in origin.
What is a subdural hematoma?
A patient with acute onset of bilateral lower extremity weakness and urinary retention, suggesting spinal cord compression, requires this emergent imaging.
What is an MRI of the spine?
This acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy, often triggered by an infection, causes symmetric ascending paralysis and can lead to respiratory failure.
What is Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS)?