Acute Stroke Case Study

Alice Palmer has been admitted into the acute stroke unit eighteen hours after experiencing an ischaemic stroke. She has undergone a vital signs assessment including heart rate and blood pressure as well as a Glasgow Coma Scale test as part of a neurological assessment. This essay will discuss the key elements of the data recorded, the physical and focused assessments to be completed by the nurse receiving Mrs. Palmer and it will include the normal and abnormal parameters for this case study.
Firstly, the nurse must consider the patients demographic, body status and situation. Alice, a 54 year old woman, has presented with an ischaemic stroke with left hemiparesis- weakness of her left side- and partial visual impairment. It is essential for a nurse to have a clear understanding of the handover material as it gives them vital information about the patient and aids them in making decisions about how to proceed next. The nurse must note
This involves understanding what the normal findings are and how the patient differs from normal expectation. Firstly, Alice has a history of hypertension, while it is relatively normal for a stroke patient to present with a raised blood pressure, it is abnormally high for someone at the age of 54. Alice’s blood pressure should be monitored frequently to insure it is stable and does not begin to rise. The nurse should educate Mrs. Palmer on the importance of taking her blood pressure medication and if she does not, how severe and life threatening the reoccurrence of stroke can be. Secondly, as stated she receive a perfect GCS score of 15, implying that Allice has the cognitive function and motor skills of a health individual. However, it is clear in the handover information that she has weakening in her left side. It is possible that there was an error made by the previous nurse and the receiving nurse is required to undergo another