Extensive stroke: consequences, chances to survive, prognosis

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of the topic, illuminating what a terrible ailment, such as an extensive stroke, the consequences. The chances of surviving with such a diagnosis can not be called high. But even if they manage to avoid a lethal outcome, such a defeat of the brain will definitely affect the vital activity of the patient. Therefore, it is worthwhile to know what this pathology is and what its symptoms are.

What is understood as an extensive stroke

This problem can be defined as quite serious, because it affects the brain. This disease is common and begins to occur more and more in middle-aged people, whereas earlier such diagnoses were mainly recorded among citizens who have long celebrated their fiftieth anniversary.

It is worth noting that only with the availability of high qualification from a doctor and access to the right medicines it makes sense to talk about the effective treatment of such a disease as an extensive stroke of the brain. The consequences of the ailment are more than serious, and if you do not provide timely assistance, then a fatal outcome is possible . Therefore, do not hesitate in case of signs of hemorrhage to the brain.

Ischemic stroke

In fact, such a diagnosis can have two main directions. This is an ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke (the most serious degree of damage).

Initially, it is worth to touch the light form, which is a consequence of the narrowing of the vessels of the brain. During this process, brain cells die due to lack of oxygen, which must come with blood. This disease develops rapidly and has an extensive character (the artery or a whole group of vessels is affected).

In this case, the ischemic stroke itself can have several varieties:

- Lacunar. It leads to the formation of lacunae (cavities) in the brain.

- Microcluster. In this case, there is a violation of the mechanism, which ensures optimal blood flow (hemostasis).

- Cardioembolic. Artery clogged, but partially.

- Hemodynamic. This kind of stroke can lead to a sudden jump in blood pressure. When blood pressure significantly decreases, there is a narrowing of the vessels, which, in turn, leads to a sharp outflow of blood.

- The trunk. This diagnosis is used to determine the damage to the brain stem. This is a very dangerous form of a vast stroke, because in this case, the vital centers are damaged. This condition in the vast majority of cases ends in an instant death.

- Atherothrombic. In this case, the cause of the violation of blood supply is due to a blood clot that is detached from the vessel wall, or due to atherosclerosis.

As you can see, the extensive stroke of the brain's prognosis is far from comforting, since the degree of damage is too high.

Hemorrhagic form

This type of stroke is characterized by such a dangerous feature as cerebral hemorrhage. In this case, there are two options for the development of events:

- Intracerebral stroke, which was caused by a sudden jump in pressure. It is mainly diagnosed in elderly people.

- Subarachnoid extensive brain stroke with hemorrhage. In this case, we are talking about the rupture of the artery. Such an outcome is most often recorded in those who have excess weight or practice bad habits.

Causes

As mentioned above, the essence of the vast stroke is that there is a blockage or rupture of a group of vessels of the brain or one large artery. From this it follows that any factors that have a negative effect on blood vessels and blood flow in particular can be considered as a cause of hemorrhage.

More specifically, it is worth paying attention to such a threat as an atherosclerotic plaque and those thrombi that can form on it. It is she who often provokes an extensive stroke of the brain. The causes of such plaques are a separate topic, but those who are loyal to excess weight are often at risk.

Often, the violation of blood supply in the brain can be a consequence of the development of other diseases in the body. Thus, people with the following diagnoses fall into the risk group:

- hypertension, especially when neglected;

- pathology of the heart, as it creates conditions for emboli and blood clots (congenital and acquired defects, atrial fibrillation, cardiac valves that have been prosthetized);

- asymptomatic atherosclerotic stenosis of carotid arteries;

- Obesity as a consequence of a low-activity lifestyle;

- diabetes mellitus (fluidity of blood deteriorates, clots are formed);

- cerebral atherosclerosis and high cholesterol in the blood;

Transient ischemic attack in the anamnesis.

Symptomatics

In order to respond quickly to a stroke, you need to know the key symptoms of it. This will help to correctly determine the patient's condition and immediately call an ambulance.

The theme of the symptoms is important to study before you deal with what causes a large stroke of the consequences. The chances of surviving in the case of a particular patient directly depend on whether medical care is provided in a timely manner.

It is important to note the fact that there are concomitant signs that indicate the occurrence of an extensive stroke. They can manifest themselves before the hemorrhage itself occurs. Sometimes such symptoms make themselves felt a few weeks before the problem worsens. These include the following manifestations:

- headache;

- dizziness;

- short-term memory loss;

- darkening in the eyes during sudden movements;

- temporary loss of orientation in space.

Such a problem as an extensive stroke of the brain, the symptoms can have a somewhat different kind in the event that significant amounts of substance were hit. They look like this:

- drowsiness;

- Strong headache;

- temperature increase;

- loss of consciousness (even a coma is possible);

- speech becomes disconnected;

- memory loss is observed;

Sweating;

- convulsions;

- a feeling of dryness in the mouth;

- a feeling of a strong sudden heat;

- pain in the eye area;

- the patient ceases to understand what is happening to him and where he is, although he is still conscious (deaf).

How to quickly recognize a stroke

In addition to the above symptoms, there are several ways that can help diagnose a person whose brain is affected by rupture or blockage of blood vessels.

To do this, you need to perform simple actions:

"Try to talk to a man." If the speech is malfunctioning and the patient can not respond quickly to simple questions, it is necessary to dial the emergency number.

- It is necessary to ask to smile at suspicion on an extensive stroke of a brain. The consequences of a hemorrhage or a lack of oxygen can manifest through the violation of facial expressions - one of the corners of the mouth during an attempt to smile will fall down.

- Another method of rapid state diagnostics is to try to raise two hands up. If the blood supply in the head was disturbed, there will be no synchronism of movements - one hand will be lower than the other.

In general, it is better to react radically once than to admit an extensive stroke. The consequences (the photo above clearly shows the picture of the affected brain) may be too serious.

What can you expect after a stroke?

First of all, it is worth noting that a complete recovery is unlikely to be possible with such a severe diagnosis. This is due to the fact that after such a stroke, there is a violation of various vital functions. Considering such topics as an extensive stroke, consequences, chances to survive and opportunities for rehabilitation, it is worth paying attention to the following difficulties that are a consequence of brain damage:

- Violation of speech. Those who have experienced such a difficult condition, it is extremely difficult to make even the simplest proposals.

- Amnesia. In this case, we are talking about the inability to remember various details related to everyday life, moreover, the perception of information is greatly complicated.

- Violation of concentration, motor skills and coordination of speech.

- Paralysis of half of the face, limbs, and in some cases, complete loss of motor functions.

If the timely provision of qualified medical care, then in about a third of cases, these consequences of an extensive stroke can be returned to the level when the patient will be able to fully live.

Coma as a consequence of a stroke

This is one of the most difficult outcomes that can be caused by brain damage. Directly the coma itself occurs as a result of rupture of a large cerebral vessel, and also after a massive subarachnoid or intracerebral hemorrhage. With this condition, the patient loses consciousness and does not come to.

The longer the duration of the coma and the stronger its development, the more massive the neuronal damage was. In this case, an extensive stroke of the brain after the coma can be very significant, since during the unconscious state in the brain there are extremely destructive irreversible changes.

What happens during coma

In this state, the patient is not able to respond to various stimuli. In this case, the reflexes of the patient do not manifest themselves in any way: the pupils do not react to light and are narrowed, and the pain also does not cause any reactions.

In some cases, arbitrary bowel movements and urination are possible. The only reflexes that persist during a coma are swallowing and breathing. If the coma was the result of hemorrhagic stroke, in most cases, death occurs within 1-2 days due to cerebral edema.

In general, the risk of death is increased if there are the following factors:

- the process of death of brain cells is fixed;

- the patient's age exceeds the 70-year mark;

- spasms of limbs are fixed more than 2-3 days;

- there is no reaction to treatment, pain reactions and sound;

- a coma has already come at the second stroke.

In order to make a more accurate prediction, doctors, as a rule, use computer and magnetic resonance imaging. Blood tests can also help in the diagnosis process.

Extensive cerebral stroke: treatment

The first thing that can be done in a hospital after the patient has been delivered is to lower blood pressure, connect the patient to an artificial respiration apparatus and increase the fluidity of the blood. And it is important that such help is provided in the first three hours after the stroke came.

In order for the recovery process to be carried out as efficiently as possible, it is necessary to place the patient in a rehabilitation center. The course of recovery can last from one month to two years. Here such has an extensive cerebral stroke consequence. The feedback of many relatives of patients affected by this ailment is confirmed by the fact that it is worth adjusting for a long period of rehabilitation and caring for the patient. Only this way you can achieve its return to a normal way of life.

Emergency Measures

Emergency treatment can be aimed at correction of cardiac rhythm and respiration, neutralization of cerebral edema, normalization of arterial pressure, arresting seizures, overcoming the disturbance of homeostasis, fever, vomiting and other symptoms that are pathological. In this case, the process of recovery must be differentiated.

If you have to deal with an ischemic stroke, thrombolytic therapy is often performed, and medications that dilute blood are used. In some cases, if you can not stop the active bleeding in the brain area, a neurosurgical operation is performed.

Rehabilitation is also possible at home, but all actions must be coordinated with the doctor. As for the procedures that must be performed in this period, here is their list:

- reflexotherapy;

- magnetotherapy;

- electrostimulation;

- massage.

Prevention

It is important not to forget about actions that have a preventive effect, since repeated brain damage can no longer leave the chances of recovery. To prevent such a development of events, you need to follow proven principles:

- constant physical exercises;

- the minimum number of stressful situations;

- complete rejection of bad habits;

- regular use of drugs against hypertension, which the doctor prescribed;

- the correct diet without harmful fatty foods;

- control of excess weight.

Conclusion

As you can see, if there is such a problem as an extensive stroke, the consequences, the chances of surviving and the forecasts as a whole can not be unambiguous. Much depends on how quickly qualified medical care will be provided, as well as many other factors (health as such, age, etc.).