Acute Stroke Care & Treatment Flashcards
7 cards from real ASC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Acute Stroke Care & Treatment flashcards as text
Which posterior circulation stroke syndrome presents with ipsilateral facial numbness, Horner syndrome, dysphagia, and contralateral body pain/temperature loss?
Answer: Wallenberg (lateral medullary) syndrome
Wallenberg syndrome results from posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) or vertebral artery occlusion causing lateral medullary infarction with the described crossed sensory deficits.
What is the recommended glucose target range for acute ischemic stroke patients in the first 24 hours?
Answer: 140–180 mg/dL
Blood glucose should be maintained between 140–180 mg/dL; both hypoglycemia and significant hyperglycemia worsen neurological outcomes after stroke.
A patient is diagnosed with hemorrhagic transformation type PH-2 after IV tPA. Which treatment is MOST appropriate?
Answer: Administer fresh frozen plasma and cryoprecipitate (fibrinogen replacement)
Symptomatic hemorrhagic transformation after tPA is treated by stopping tPA, replacing fibrinogen with cryoprecipitate, and administering FFP to reverse coagulopathy.
Which antihypertensive agent is preferred for rapid blood pressure lowering in acute ischemic stroke when IV medication is needed?
Answer: IV nicardipine or IV labetalol
IV nicardipine and IV labetalol are guideline-recommended agents for controlled acute blood pressure reduction in ischemic stroke management.
What is the significance of the 'clot burden score' in acute ischemic stroke management?
Answer: It predicts response to IV tPA by quantifying clot length and location in the MCA
The clot burden score quantifies thrombus extent on CTA, with higher scores correlating with worse collateral flow and lower tPA recanalization rates, supporting thrombectomy.
Which condition is the MOST common cardiac source of embolic stroke?
Answer: Atrial fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation is the most common identifiable cardiac source of embolic stroke, accounting for approximately 20% of all ischemic strokes.
A patient with acute basilar artery occlusion presents 9 hours after symptom onset with locked-in syndrome. What treatment approach should be considered?
Answer: Mechanical thrombectomy regardless of time from onset given high mortality without treatment
Basilar artery occlusion carries near-universal mortality without reperfusion; mechanical thrombectomy is considered even beyond standard time windows given the dismal natural history.