Ischemic Stroke Case Studies

Mrs. Sibley, your mother Mrs. Martens came to us about 4 days ago via ambulance with trouble speaking, difficulty swallowing and weakness of the right side. She showed signs of facial drooping and complained of a headache. Mr.Martens explained to us your mother was reaching in the cupboard for a dish when he right arm began to fall. She then sat down at the kitchen table, and proceeded to stand back up when she fell to the floor and was unable to stand without help. From there she showed a steady decline and the trouble speaking, difficulty swallowing, and weakness of the right side occurred within minutes. Mrs. Martens was alert and oriented, however showed some signs of confusion. We did not test how well she was able to walk due to the weakness
We performed a chest X-Ray and a urine test, as well as an overall blood test to test PTT, which is how long it takes your blood to clot, and metabolism. We performed a test to see how well her lungs could move oxygen to the blood and CO2 from the blood. We done a CT scan which was clear of any brain bleeds that may have caused the stroke. Our Neurologist confirmed this to be a ischemic stroke due to a blood clot on the left side of the brain. When then diagnosed her with Hemiparesis which is weakness to the right side caused by the stroke, Hypertension which is high blood pressure, and ischemic stroke. We transferred Mrs.Martens to the ICU where she was given a medicine to help break down unwanted blood clots and was given mannitol through an IV to reduce any elevated pressure on the brain. A neuro check was performed every two hours. On day two, she unfortunately developed very low blood pressure, nausea and vomiting. She was then given something to control her nausea and vomiting and her saline drip was increased to keep her hydrated. After 5 hours, she was no longer vomiting and her blood pressure was back to