Word parts
What it means
The most common kind of stroke. A clot or fatty plaque blocks an artery in or leading to the brain, and the brain tissue it feeds begins to die within minutes. The other main kind is a hemorrhagic stroke, caused by bleeding. Clot-dissolving drugs and procedures to remove the clot can help if given early, after a brain scan shows no bleeding.
For the nurse
Learn the warning signs (BE FAST: balance, eyes, face drooping, arm weakness, speech trouble, time to call). Note the time the client was last known well, and do a swallow screen before giving anything by mouth.
At a glance
| Spanish | accidente cerebrovascular isquémico |
|---|---|
| Also written | ischemic strokes |
Related terms
ischemia
Too little blood flow to a part of the body, so the tissue does not get enough oxygen.
stroke
Sudden damage to part of the brain because its blood supply is blocked or a blood vessel in it bursts.
hemiplegia
Paralysis of one side of the body.
thromboembolism
A blockage of a blood vessel by a blood clot that formed in one place and traveled through the blood to another.