Cerebral Vascular Accident

1. Ronald is experiencing a cerebral vascular accident also known as a CVA or in layman's terms, he is experiencing a stroke. Cerebral vascular accidents are very serious medical emergencies that are life threatening. Stroke is a generalized term that explains injury or death of the brain tissue due to interruption of cerebral blood flow (Bledsoe, p.g.197). A stroke occurs when the flow of blood to a part of the brain is stopped completely or significantly reduced. With no oxygen supply from the blood getting to the brain, brain cells begin to die quickly, which can cause permanent damage (Ellen, Mary). Strokes are caused by a blockage of the blood supply to a part of the brain and the cause is either a blood clot or a ruptured artery (Eure).
Strokes are the third most common cause of death and in middle-aged or elderly people, it is the most frequent cause of a disability (Bledsoe, p.g.198). There are two broad categories of strokes, ischemic strokes and hemorrhagic strokes. Ischemic strokes are caused from a blockage in the artery which results in a lack of blood flow to the brain tissue. Hemorrhagic strokes are caused by a hemorrhage from a ruptured cerebral artery (Bledsoe, p.g. 198). An occlusive stroke, also known as an ischemic stroke is when a cerebral artery is occluded by a blood clot. The blockage results in ischemia (an inadequate amount of blood supply to the brain tissue) which results in infarction. The dead tissue will swell causing further damage to the surrounding tissues (Bledsoe, p.g.198). If the swelling is severe, it could lead to herniation which is the protrusion of brain tissue from the skull through the foramen magnum (Bledsoe, p.g.198). There are different types of ischemic strokes. An ischemic stroke that is caused from an embolus that was carried to the cerebral blood vessels from a remote site is also known as an embolic stoke (Bledsoe,
The leakage is from small intracerebral arteries damaged by hypertension (Hemorrhagic Stroke). The blood then accumulates and compresses the surrounding tissue putting pressure on the brain and causes a loss of blood to the surrounding areas. It can be caused by two types of weakened blood vessels, most commonly an aneurysm (Ellen, M). An aneurysm occurs when a section of a blood vessel becomes enlarged (ballooning) from dangerously increased blood pressure or when a blood vessel is weak, which is most commonly congenital (Hemorrhagic Strokes). The ballooning leads to a weakened region of the blood vessel that ultimately ruptures. It can also be caused by arteriovenous malformation also known as AVM, which is a cluster of abnormally formed blood vessels (Hemorrhagic Strokes). This occurs when arteries and veins are connected abnormally without capillaries between them. Arteriovenous malformations are congenital (they present at birth but are not always hereditary) (Ellen, Mary). The neural tissue in the brain is irritated from the hemorrhage. The blood fills into the nerve roots and the arachnoid granulations which impairs CSF reabsorption and circulation (Hemorrhagic