Nursing 3910A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Ischemic Cascade, Cryptogenic Disease, Cerebral Circulation

• School: Western University
• Department: Nursing
• Course: Nursing 3910A/B
• Professor: David Reid

Document Summary

Day & b. williams, bru(cid:374)(cid:374)er & suddarth s ca(cid:374)adia(cid:374) text(cid:271)ook of (cid:373)edi(cid:272)al- surgical nursing (3rd ed. , pp. Ischemic strokes are subdivided into five different types based on the cause: large artery thrombotic strokes (20%), small penetrating artery thrombotic strokes (25%), cardiogenic embolic strokes (20%), cryptogenic strokes (30%), and other (5%) (see table 63-1). Thrombotic (large vessel) strokes are caused by sites of plaque formation along the vessel wall which leads to occlusion. Small penetrating artery thrombotic strokes affect one or more vessels. Cardiogenic embolic strokes are associated with cardiac dysrhythmias, usually atrial fibrillation. The ischemic cascade begins when cerebral blood flow decreases to less than 25 ml per 100 g of blood per minute. At this point, neurons are no longer able to maintain aerobic respiration. The mitochondria must then switch to anaerobic respiration, which generates large amounts of lactic acid, causing a change in the ph.