ECTSI 13th Edition Vocab - Chapter 18 - Neurologic Emergencies

Altered Mental Status

Any deviation from alert and oriented to person, place, time, and event, or any deviation from a patient's normal baseline mental status.

Aneurysm

A swelling or enlargement of a part of an artery, resulting from weakening of the arterial wall.

Aphasia

The inability to understand and/or produce speech.

Atherosclerosis

A disorder in which cholesterol and calcium build up inside the walls of blood vessels, eventually leading to partial or complete blockage of blood flow.

Aura

A sensation experienced before a seizure; serves as a warning sign that a seizure is about to occur.

Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA)

An interruption of blood flow to the brain that results in the loss of brain function; also called a stroke.

Coma

A state of profound unconsciousness from which the patient cannot be roused.

Delirium

A temporary change in mental status characterized by disorganized thoughts, inattention, memory loss, disorientation, striking changes in personality and affect, hallucinations, delusions, or a decreased level of consciousness.

Dementia

A slow, progressive decline in cognitive function that impairs memory function and leads to behavior change.

Dysarthria

Slurred speech.

Embolism

A condition in which a blood clot or other substance (embolus) in the circulatory system travels to a blood vessel where it causes a blockage of blood flow.

Epilepsy

A disorder in which abnormal electrical discharges occur in the brain, causing seizures and possible loss of consciousness.

Febrile Seizure

A seizure that results from sudden high fever; most often seen in children.

Focal Seizure

A seizure affecting a limited portion of the brain.

Generalized Seizure

A seizure characterized by severe twitching of all of the body's muscles that may last several minutes or more; formerly known as a grand mal seizure.

Hemiparesis

Weakness on one side of the body.

Hemorrhagic Stroke

A type of stroke that occurs as a result of bleeding inside the brain.

Hyperglycemia

An abnormally high blood glucose level.

Hypoglycemia

An abnormally low blood glucose level.

Incontinence

Loss of bowel and/or bladder control; may be the result of a generalized seizure.

Ischemia

A lack of oxygen that deprives tissues of necessary nutrients, resulting from partial or complete blockage of blood flow; potentially reversible because permanent injury has not yet occurred.

Ischemic Stroke

A type of stroke that occurs when blood flow to a particular part of the brain is cut off by a blockage (eg, a blood clot) inside a blood vessel.

Postictal State

The period following a seizure that lasts 5 to 30 minutes; characterized by labored respirations and some degree of altered mental status.

Seizure

A neurologic episode caused by a surge of electrical activity in the brain; can be a convulsion characterized by generalized, uncoordinated muscular activity, and can be associated with loss of consciousness.

Status Epilepticus

A condition in which seizures recur every few minutes or last longer than 30 minutes.

Stroke

An interruption of blood flow to the brain that results in the loss of brain function; also called a cerebrovascular accident (CVA).

Syncope

A fainting spell or transient loss of consciousness.

Thrombosis

A condition in which a blood clot, either in the arterial or venous system, forms at the site of a damaged blood vessel (referred to as a thrombus) and obstructs blood flow.

Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)

A disorder of the brain in which brain cells temporarily stop functioning because of insufficient oxygen, causing strokelike symptoms that resolve completely within 24 hours of onset.