Skip to ContentGo to accessibility pageKeyboard shortcuts menu
OpenStax Logo
Medical-Surgical Nursing

Introduction

Medical-Surgical NursingIntroduction
Computed tomography angiography showing an aneurysm.
Figure 15.1 Computed tomography angiography can give an effective visualization of the cerebral vasculature, such as the aneurysm indicated by the red arrows. (credit: “Volume_rendered_CT_angiography_of_posterior_communicating_artery_aneurysm.png” by Shazia Mirza and Sankalp Gokhale/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0)

Chapter Outline

15.1 The Cerebrovascular System and Cerebral Vascular Accidents
15.2 Ischemic Stroke
15.3 Hemorrhagic Stroke

The brain is one component of the central nervous system (CNS). This crucial organ controls or interprets everything we do: our movement, breath, emotional reactions, vision, experience of hot and cold. The brain’s functioning requires a continuous supply of glucose and oxygen; consequently, its vasculature is complex. However, what if there is a disruption in the perfusion of the brain? What happens when the brain cells, which control our every voluntary and involuntary movement, do not receive the oxygen and nutrients they need to function? The result is a stroke.

Treating patients who have had a stroke—or cerebrovascular accident (CVA), as strokes are commonly called—is quite complex. It requires an understanding of the cerebral vasculature and the brain. There are two distinct types of strokes: ischemic and hemorrhagic. Differentiating the two will help guide nursing care to recognize cues, prioritize interventions, and evaluate outcomes.

PreviousNext
Citation/Attribution

This book may not be used in the training of large language models or otherwise be ingested into large language models or generative AI offerings without OpenStax's permission.

Want to cite, share, or modify this book? This book uses the Creative Commons Attribution License and you must attribute OpenStax.

Attribution information
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a print format, then you must include on every physical page the following attribution:
    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/medical-surgical-nursing/pages/1-introduction
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a digital format, then you must include on every digital page view the following attribution:
    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/medical-surgical-nursing/pages/1-introduction
Citation information

© Sep 20, 2024 OpenStax. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License . The OpenStax name, OpenStax logo, OpenStax book covers, OpenStax CNX name, and OpenStax CNX logo are not subject to the Creative Commons license and may not be reproduced without the prior and express written consent of Rice University.