Critical Medicine and Treatment

Archive for the ‘Cardiovascular Diseases’ Category

Nursing facilities

Rehabilitation services available in nursing facilities are more variable than those in inpatient units or outpatient. The highly skilled nursing facilities usually place greater emphasis on rehabilitation, whereas traditional homes emphasize residential care. Addition, there are fewer hours of therapy compared to those offered in rehabilitation units for inpatient and outpatient. Read the rest of this entry »

Where can you get rehab patient who has suffered a stroke?

Rehabilitation should begin as soon as the stroke patient is stabilized, often 24 to 48 hours after the stroke. This first stage of rehabilitation usually occurs in the acute care hospital. At the time of discharge from the hospital, the patient and his family, in coordination with hospital social workers, must find a suitable place to live patients. Many stroke survivors return home, while others move to some type of medical facility.

Rehabilitation units for patients hospitalized (inpatient)

Inpatient units can be independent or be part of larger hospital complexes. Patients usually remain in the installation of 2 to 3 weeks, and engage in an intensive and coordinated rehabilitation. Such programs often involve at least 3 hours of active therapy, 5 or 6 days a week. The inpatient facilities offer a full range of medical services, including the supervision of a doctor 24 hours a day, and access to a full range of therapists specializing in rehabilitation after a stroke. Read the rest of this entry »

What medical professionals specialize in rehabilitation after a stroke?

Rehabilitation after a stroke of physicians, rehabilitation nurses, physical therapists, occupational, recreational, speech and language, and vocational, and mental health professionals.

Doctors

Physicians have the primary responsibility for management and coordination of long-term care of stroke survivors, including recommending rehabilitation programs that best suit the needs of each patient. Doctors also are responsible for the overall health care of a stroke survivor and advise you how to prevent a second stroke, for example, controlling high blood pressure or diabetes and eliminating risk factors such as smoking, excessive weight A diet high in cholesterol, and high consumption of alcohol.

Neurologists usually lead teams strokes intensive care and the care of patients while hospitalized. It is sometimes maintained by long-term rehabilitation. However, physicians who specialize in other fields often assume responsibility after the acute stage has passed, including physiatrists, who specialize in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Read the rest of this entry »

The types and degrees of disability resulting from a stroke depend on the brain area that has been damaged. Generally, stroke can cause five types of disabilities: paralysis or difficulty controlling movement, sensory disturbances including pain, difficulty using or understanding language, problems with thinking and memory, and emotional disturbances.

Paralysis or problems controlling movement (motor control)

Paralysis is one of the most common disabilities resulting from stroke. The paralysis is usually only on the side of the body opposite the side of the brain damaged by stroke, and can affect the face, arm, leg, or an entire side of the body. This one-sided paralysis is called hemiplegia (weakness on one side is called hemiparesis). Stroke patients with hemiparesis or hemiplegia may have difficulty performing daily activities such as walking or grasping objects. Some patients experienced a stroke have difficulty swallowing, called dysphagia, due to damage to the brain that controls muscles to swallow. Damage to the bottom of the brain called the cerebellum may affect the body’s ability to coordinate movement, ie a disability called ataxia, leading to problems with posture, walking and balance. Read the rest of this entry »

In the United States more than 700,000 people suffer a stroke each year, and about two-thirds of these individuals survive and require rehabilitation. The goals of rehabilitation are to help survivors become as independent as possible and achieve the best possible quality of life. Even if the rehabilitation does not “cure” that does not reverse stroke and brain injury, rehabilitation can substantially help people achieve the best possible long-term results.

What is rehabilitation after a stroke?

Rehabilitation helps stroke survivors relearn skills lost when part of the brain is damaged. For example, these skills can include coordinating the movements of the legs to walk or run the steps involved in any complex activity. Rehabilitation also teaches survivors new ways of performing tasks to circumvent or compensate for any residual disability. Read the rest of this entry »

Do you know your risk for stroke?

You can identify some of the most important risk factors for stroke during a physical exam in the doctor’s office. If you are over 55 years, the worksheet included in this booklet can help you estimate your risk for stroke and show the benefit of controlling risk factors.

The worksheet was developed based on the renowned Framingham Study, sponsored by NINDS. Together with your doctor, you can develop a strategy to decrease the risk to normal or even below normal for their age.

You can control many risk factors for stroke, some with great success. Although the risk is zero at any age, if you start early and controlling your risk factors, you can reduce your risk of dying or becoming disabled because of a stroke. With good control, you can keep the risk of stroke in most age groups, below the one for accidental injury or death. Read the rest of this entry »

What are the risk factors for stroke?

A risk factor is a condition or behavior that occurs more frequently in those who have or may have increased risk of disease than in those without. Having a risk factor for stroke does not mean you have a stroke. On the other hand, not having a risk factor does not mean you will not have a stroke. However, your risk of stroke increases with the number and severity of the risk factors you have.

Strokes occur at any age in both sexes and all races in all countries. These may occur even before birth, when the fetus is still in the womb. In African Americans, stroke is more common and more lethal in young adults and middle-aged than in any other racial or ethnic group in the United States. Scientists continue to find more risk factors and more severe in some minority groups continue to search for similar patterns for stroke in these groups. Read the rest of this entry »

What are the warning signs of stroke?

The warning signs (or symptoms) are the signs your body sends that your brain is not receiving enough oxygen. If you observe one or more of the following symptoms of a stroke or stroke, do not wait, call your doctor or 911 immediately!

- Numbness, weakness or sudden paralysis of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body.
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech.
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, or loss of balance or coordination.
- Severe headaches, sudden and unknown cause. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re like most Americans, you plan for your future. When you accept a job, you examine the pension plan of the company. When you buy a home, consider its location and condition so that your investment is secure. Today, more and more Americans are protecting their most important asset, namely health. Do you?

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States. A stroke can be devastating for those affected and their families, robbing them of their independence. It is the most common cause of disability in adults. Each year more than 500,000 Americans have a stroke and about 145,000 die from causes related to it. The officers of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) have committed to reduce that burden through biomedical research. Read the rest of this entry »

The cardiovascular system consists of the heart, arteries, veins, arterioles, venules and capillaries. The heart acts as a pump that pushes blood to the organs, tissues and cells of the body, through a complex network of arteries, arterioles and capillaries, the blood returns to the heart through venules and veins.

Blood delivers oxygen and nutrients to every cell and removes carbon dioxide and waste products produced by these cells.

This system is not easy to establish a clear separation between changes due to aging and the changes that are considered pathological phenomena. Cardiovascular injuries are very common, being the second most common cause of death after cancer. Read the rest of this entry »