Neurological & Neurovascular Systems – Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards summarising essential terms, disorders, assessments and nursing principles from Study Unit 1.8: Neurological & Neurovascular Systems.

Hemiplegia

Paralysis of one side (right or left) of the body.

Paraplegia

Paralysis of the lower half of the body, typically affecting both legs.

Quadriplegia (Tetraplegia)

Paralysis from the neck downward involving the trunk, arms and legs.

Myasthenia gravis

Chronic autoimmune disorder where antibodies destroy neuromuscular junctions, causing fluctuating skeletal-muscle weakness, especially of eyes, face, throat and limbs.

Guillain-Barré syndrome

Acute immune-mediated disorder in which the body attacks the peripheral nerves, leading to ascending weakness or paralysis.

Parkinson’s disease

Age-related, degenerative brain disorder marked by bradykinesia, resting tremor, rigidity and balance problems.

Alzheimer’s disease

Progressive neurodegenerative disorder that destroys memory, thinking skills and daily function; most common cause of dementia in older adults.

Bell’s palsy

Acute, usually temporary, paralysis of facial muscles from inflammation or compression of cranial nerve VII, causing facial droop, ptosis and drooling.

Neurovascular disease – risk factors

Hypertension, atherosclerosis, smoking, age, diabetes, gout, obesity, stress, poor nutrition and environmental factors.

Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)

Assessment tool (score 3–15) measuring level of consciousness through eye opening, verbal response and motor response.

Eye-opening response (GCS)

Spontaneous (4), to speech (3), to pain (2), none (1).

Verbal response (GCS)

Oriented (5), confused (4), inappropriate words (3), incomprehensible sounds (2), none (1).

Motor response (GCS)

Obeys commands (6), localises pain (5), withdraws (4), abnormal flexion (3), extension (2), none (1).

Unconscious patient – airway care

Position on side with head/neck aligned; use oropharyngeal airway; suction as required; supply oxygen or ventilation as needed.

Unconscious patient – nutrition

Avoid oral feeding; provide enteral or IV nutrition with adequate calories, water and monitoring.

Unconscious patient – fluid & electrolytes

Record intake/output, give prescribed IV/enteral fluids, monitor labs and CVP for dehydration or overload.

Unconscious patient – pressure-area care

Turn every 2 h, use functional limb positions, perform passive range-of-motion and protect bony prominences.

Unconscious patient – infection prevention

Strict hand-washing, catheter/wound care, 4-hourly vitals, early sign surveillance and antibiotic use as ordered.

Meningitis

Inflammation/infection of the meninges causing swollen meninges, ↑ICP, neck stiffness, headache and risk of convulsions or hydrocephalus.

Encephalitis

Viral inflammation of brain tissue presenting with gradual onset headache, fever, lethargy, altered consciousness and possible seizures.

Epilepsy

Condition of recurring, unprovoked seizures due to spontaneous neuronal discharges; often idiopathic.

Petit mal (absence) seizure

Brief lapse in consciousness with blank stare or minor twitch; no fall or incontinence.

Grand mal (tonic-clonic) seizure

Generalised seizure with aura → tonic stiffening → clonic jerking → postictal sleep; possible tongue-bite & incontinence.

Partial seizure

Seizure limited to one cerebral hemisphere; may be simple (no LOC) or complex (impaired consciousness).

Status epilepticus

Continuous or repeated seizures >5 min; medical emergency requiring airway support and IV anticonvulsants (phenytoin, benzodiazepines).

PQRSTU pain assessment

Mnemonic: Precipitating/Palliating, Quality, Radiation, Severity (0-10), Timing, Understanding of pain.

FLACC scale

Behavioural pain tool for preverbal children assessing Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability (score 0–10).

Faces pain scale

Series of cartoon faces from smile (0) to tears (10) for children to self-rate pain.

Oucher scale

Photo-based child pain scale with images and 0–10 numeric rating for ‘no hurt’ to ‘biggest hurt’.

Colour pain tool

Body outline coloured by child to show pain location; darker/red/black shades indicate greater intensity.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)

Non-pharmacologic therapy delivering mild electrical pulses to nerves to relieve pain.

Biofeedback (in epilepsy)

Technique teaching patient to control bodily responses (e.g., brain rhythms) to reduce seizure triggers.

Passive range-of-motion

Nursing exercise moving patient’s limbs to maintain joint mobility and prevent contractures.

Brudzinski’s sign

Neck flexion elicits involuntary hip/knee flexion, indicating meningeal irritation.

Kernig’s sign

Pain/resistance on extending knee while hip flexed at 90°, suggesting meningeal irritation.

Aura (seizure)

Subjective sensory warning that precedes some seizures (e.g., smell, visual flash).

DF-118

Opioid (dihydrocodeine) with minimal CNS depression used for severe meningitis pain without masking symptoms.

Acyclovir / Vidarabine

Antiviral medications used IV to treat severe viral meningitis or encephalitis, especially herpes simplex cases.

Tonic phase

Initial stiffening stage of a grand mal seizure with sustained muscle contraction.

Clonic phase

Rhythmic jerking stage following tonic phase during a grand mal seizure.