Tag: neurology
- Delirium and Dementia ()
Altered mental status is one of the most common presenting symptoms in elderly patients often related to 3 Ds- delirium, dementia, and depression. Out of the 3 Ds, Delirium and dementia are more commonly encountered in clinical practice. Most of the time, the two terms are used interchangeably and therefore unrecognized on the initial assessment. It […]
- Cognitive Impairment ()
Cognition is the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses. It encompasses various aspects of high-level intellectual functions and processes such as attention, memory, knowledge, decision-making, planning, reasoning, judgment, perception comprehension, language, and visuospatial function. Cognitive processes use existing knowledge and generate new knowledge. “Cognitive deficit” is an […]
- Structures Of The Heart ()
Cardiac Muscle Contracts, Conducts Electricity, And Sometimes Generates It’s Own Impulse Recall that cardiac muscle shares a few characteristics with both skeletal muscle and smooth muscle, but it has some unique properties of its own. Not the least of these exceptional properties is its ability to initiate an electrical potential at a fixed rate that […]
- Getting SPASTIC With Pediatric Altered Mental Status ()
What is altered mental status? Altered mental status (AMS) is a disruption in how your brain works that causes a change in behavior. This change can happen suddenly or over days. AMS ranges from slight confusion to total disorientation and increased sleepiness to coma. What causes AMS? AMS can be caused by physical, psychological, and […]
- When A Stroke Doesn’t Look Like A Stroke ()
Stroke Symptoms Are Based On The Location Of The Clot At this point, medics should know that there are two main pathologies of stroke: Thrombotic Stroke – A blood clot is interrupting blood flow to downstream areas of the brain resulting in neurological symptoms. Hemorrhagic Stroke – A blood vessel in the brain has ruptured […]
- Mental Status Exam ()
Level of Consciousness Medical illness, traumatic brain injury, alcohol intoxication, drugs, and poisonings may all lead to aberrations in a patient’s neurological and physiological status in ways that cause an abnormal level of consciousness. AVPU is a straightforward scale that is useful to rapidly grade a patient’s gross level of consciousness, responsiveness, or mental status. It comes into […]
- Pediatric Seizures ()
The status seizure requires immediate ALS intervention A status seizure is a seizure that continues through the post ictal phase. When a typical seizure lasts 30 seconds or less, the status seizure can last 5 to 15 minutes; or literally just continue until the patient is dead. Despite the fact that status seizures are rare, […]
- EMS Treatment of Stroke ()
EMS role in stroke is early indentification The ambulance crew has got be on the lookout for stroke. Stroke should be strongly considered when the patient has a neurological deficit of any kind and a normal or high blood glucose level. The number one mimic of stroke is hypoglycemia; ruling out hypoglycemia is easy to […]
- Stroke ()
The type of stroke you have affects your treatment and recovery. The three main types of stroke are: Ischemic stroke. Hemorrhagic stroke. Transient ischemic attack (a warning or “mini-stroke”). Learn about the health conditions and lifestyle habits that can increase your risk for stroke. Ischemic Stroke Most strokes (87%) are ischemic strokes. An ischemic stroke happens when blood flow […]
- The EMS Treatment of Seizures ()
Assessment and treatment priorities After performing a primary survey, the medics priorities for assessment and treatment of the seizure patient are: Determine if the patient is experiencing a status seizure. If the patient is still seizure by the time the ambulance makes it on scene, it’s a status seizure and requires an ALS response so […]