How to Define Stroke CVA

A health professional defines whether a stroke or a CVA (cerebrovascular accident) has occurred. Unfortunately, it is impossible without postmortem autopsy for doctors to directly test the nerve cell death that occurs when blood to the brain is interrupted, so they must rely on signs, symptoms, physical examination and diagnostic tests. Call 911 as quickly as possible because stroke is the third leading cause of death. In 2005, 143,579 people died of stroke in the U.S., according to the American Heart Association.

Things You'll Need

• Telephone
• Library
• Internet access
• Mirror

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Instructions

Understand the Types of Stroke

• 1

  Consult a textbook of medicine or read online educational materials provided by the American Heart Association or the American Academy of Neurology.

• 2

  Distinguish among the three types of stroke: ischemic, hemorrhagic and embolic. All can result in poor function of the brain, causing difficulty moving, seeing, and speaking; headache; dizziness; or confusion.

• 3

  Aspirin is used to treat ischemic stroke.

  Understand that ischemic stroke is a sign of brain tissue that is dying due to a lack of nutrients and oxygen in the blood. This type of stroke involves an obstruction and may be treated with blood thinners, such as aspirin and clot-busting drugs. In contrast, hemorrhagic stroke is due to bleeding and is not treated with these drugs.

• 4

  Distinguish stroke from other reversible but serious conditions, such as transient ischemic attack, in which similar symptoms disappear in 24 hours or less.

• 5

  Learn about other conditions, such as Bell's palsy, multiple sclerosis and migraine headaches, with similar symptoms as stroke but different treatment.

Understand Diagnostic Tests for Stroke

• 6

  A CT scan helps diagnose stroke.

  Ask your doctor about CT results, which determine whether the stroke is due to hemorrhage or bleeding in the brain such as from a leaking aneurysm, which cannot be treated with blood thinners. Less urgently, an MRI can determine whether an ischemic stroke has occurred.

• 7

  Ask your doctor about the results of echocardiograms and Doppler ultrasound of your circulatory system. Narrowing of the arteries to the brain, holes in the heart and clots that break off and lodge in the brain can cause stroke.

• 8

  An electrocardiogram can detect an irregular heartbeat.

  Check your pulse to determine whether an irregularity known as atrial fibrillation, diagnosed on a heart monitor or electrocardiogram, may be treated to prevent stroke.

• 9

  Ask your doctor about the risks and benefits of invasive tests such as lumbar puncture and angiography to diagnose a stroke or bleeding cerebral aneurysm.

Look for New Signs and Symptoms of Stroke

• 10

  Inspect the lines between the nose and the cheeks.

  Smile or puff your cheeks while looking in a mirror. Look closely at the lines that form between the nose and the cheeks when you smile. Compare your smile with an old picture, or ask friends or family whether your appearance is similar to before. Determine whether both sides look the same; if not, then this indicates weakness, which could be a stroke.

• 11

  Hold both hands out as if you are holding a pizza box. Any new inequality in strength could be a sign of stroke.

• 12

  Speak a few sentences and state what day it is, what your last meal was and who you are. Any new problems speaking or confusion could be a sign of a stroke.