Pathophysiology and Management of Critical Conditions - Essay Example

PATHOLOPHYSIOLOGY & MANAGEMENT OF CRITICAL CONDITIONS Name: Institution: Course: Tutor: Date: Stroke Causes The human brain is the center and origin all processes taking place in the body. For this case; the head should be handled with care so that no damage occurs and affects operations in the brain. However some circumstances may be unavoidable making human susceptible to situations that are injurious. Stroke is one kind of disease that affects the human brain and in when not attended to on time, it can lead to total loss of life. This condition is sometimes referred to as cerebrovascular disease (CVA) or cerebral hemorrhage. There are two commonly known types of stroke that human beings can be affected by; Ischemic stroke is a kind of brain attack that arises when a vessel which transports blood to human brain is blocked by the blood clotting process (Richard, et al, 2009). In this case, the clot creates a barricade, blocking the routine flow of blood. This occurs in two main ways; first there can be a blood clot happening in a brain artery which happens to be very narrow, this process is referred to as “Thrombotic stroke.” Secondly, there may be a case where a clot breaks off from a completely different location. Alternatively, the blood clot can be transported to the blood vessels in the brain from a different part of the body, in both cases; the clot is a barrier blood flow in the brain. In the condition, the kind of stroke suffered from is referred to as “embolism” or “embolic stroke” Another kind of stroke happens when a weak blood vessel happens to burst up in the brain. This makes the blood to start leaking into the brain against the normal way that the brain is intended to function (Kenning, et al, 2012). In both cases, death is always knocking for the victim in case urgent effective medical care is not administered. Pathophysiology When a person is affected by stroke, the kind of symptoms that are exhibited depends on the part of the brain that has been affected. It is possible for someone to experience the symptoms without being able to know that its stroke. People should be aware that symptoms of stroke develop unexpectedly and without due warning. For the first few days the symptoms occur on and off, making it hard for one to explain the prevailing body condition. When stroke first occurs, its symptoms are said to be very severe, however, this effects gets worse as time continues. If bleeding happens in the brain, the victim experiences headaches which start as mild but soon become severe. These headaches are prevalent when the victim is lying flat; the severity of the headaches wakes up the victim from sleep. The victim feels severe headaches especially when he changes his position when sleeping, when he happens to bend or if he coughs. The severity of the brain attack and its specific position determine the kind of symptoms experienced. However, most of them include; general modification in general attentiveness and changes in hearing and taste habits of the victim. At the same time, the victim may experience changes which may affect his ability to touch or feel pain; however, the victim needs to seek urgent medical diagnosis in order to ascertain the real cause of symptoms. Management Stroke is always a serious medical case which requires urgent medical attention; otherwise it is a potential cause of death to the victims who suffer from it (Brown, 2001). Only a medical practitioner is in a better position to handle brain attack using various types of antibiotics or surgery in critical cases. When the stroke being experienced is a result of a blood clot, then the medical practitioner can offer a drug which bursts up the clot and normal blood flow resumes. This treatment needs to be induced after 3-4 hours after experiencing the initial symptoms. Other ways of effectively managing are determined by the specific causes of stroke. However, other management criteria include use of gastronomy tubes in the stomach of the victim, giving a lot of fluids and other nutrients as well as special medicines to manage cases of high blood pressure. When the patient is taken to hospital, doctors may decide on the kind of therapy that the victim will be put to. Depending on symptoms, the victim could be put on occupational therapy, speech or physical, all of which have to be approved by a qualified medical doctor. Myocardial infarction Causes One of the most dangerous conditions that lead to termination of human life is heart attack. The heart is an essential body organ with the function of upholding the life of each and every living organism. As an important organ, it has one main function; to pump blood. When the heart stops functioning, the body lacks the much needed oxygen, something that suffocates body cells leading to death of the victim. Myocardial infarction is a condition where the human heart lacks oxygen as a result of blockage of normal blood flow to the organ. This deadly condition is also referred to as heart attack in other medical terms The heart is supplied with oxygenated blood from two main vessels referred to as coronary arteries, when either of the arteries is blocked for any particular reason; the heart suffers from lack of oxygen. This condition of attack to the heart is known as “Cardiac ischemia,” which is dangerous since when it prolongs without prior attention, it causes suffocation of heart cells and the victim eventually dies. Pathophysiology Heart attack has been cited as one of the most dangerous conditions, this means that individuals should always seek medical attention as soon as they are able to identify any symptoms that could be associated with the attack (Heart Disease Health Center, 2014). Symptoms of heart attack are sometimes rare or difficult to ascertain. This means that any abnormal body experiences should be diagnosed medical with due urgency. In general, heart attack symptoms are often associated with pains in the chest which run from mild to severe. Some victims experience difficulties in breathing accompanied by experiences of dizziness, fainting or sometimes nausea. At the initial stages, a victim of heart attack can easily mistake it for heart burn. Usually the pains in the heart appear to be constant in some cases while it is intermittent at other times. Medical research has shown that women have few chances of getting heart attacks compared to men. On average, there are close to 25% of cases of heart attacks which occur without showing any possible signs. These kinds of attacks are usually associated with “silent ischemia” a condition that is characterized by infrequent interruptions of the normal flow of blood into the heart. Something peculiar about these attacks is that they are associated with less or no pains, however, their effect is the same, they are lethal and cause death of the victim. Management Most of the victims of heart attacks die before they get the much needed medical attention in hospitals and other reliable medical practitioners. Early treatment mechanisms of are aimed at reducing severity of damage to the victim’s heart. This is only possible if action is taken in due time to save the victim. When a person suspects that he is having a heart attack, there are medicines which can be administered immediately to reduce potential harm. Some of the medicines include aspirin which is helpful in thinning blood (NIH, n.d), hence reducing its ability to clot. Other common interventions include treating of chest pains and use of nitroglycerin medicine in order to decrease the hearts workload and enhance normal flow of blood in the coronary arteries. After medical diagnosis has been done by doctors, they begin immediate treatment so as to bring back normal blood flow in the heart. Doctors use two main strategies in order to address the condition of heart attack. One of the methods is using medicine aimed at bursting possible blood clots in the arteries. Medicines that are used to burst blood clots are very effective; however, they ought to be used with 3-4 hours after detecting the first symptoms. Another effective method to treat heart attack is the use of PCI (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention). This method does not require any surgical processes but effectively opens arteries that are blocked are have become narrow, reducing normal blood flow to the heart. In administering this treatment mechanism, a thin flexible tube that has a balloon on one end or a related device is inserted into a blood vessel in the groin area up to the narrowed artery or one that is blocked. After it has been inserted in the blood vessel, the balloon or other device are filled with air so that they are compressed on the wall of the blood vessel. This process resumes normal flow of blood in the arteries, something that reduces the effect of heart attack. People should always pay attention to any symptoms in their bodies since they may be potential causes of death when not attended to urgently. References Brown, M. B. (2001). Identification and Management of Difficult Stroke and Tia Syndromes. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery Psychiatry. 70(1):17-22 Heart Disease Health Center (2014). Understanding Heart Attack: The Basics. Retrieved from, < http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/understanding-heart-attack-basics> Kenning, et al, (2012). Cranial decompression for the treatment of malignant intracranial hypertension after ischemic cerebral infarction: decompressive craniectomy and hinge craniotomy. Journal of neurosurgery. 116(6):1289-98. NIH, (n.d). How Is a Heart Attack Treated? Retrieved from, < http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/heartattack/treatment.html> Richard, E. L, et al (2009). Recommendations for imaging of acute ischemic stroke: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Stroke. 40:346-367. Read More