Stroke and Anaphylactic Reactions - Essay Example

Stroke and Anaphylactic Reactions Name Institution Date Stroke and Anaphylactic Reactions Stroke takes place when the artery that supplies blood to the brain is blocked or in other cases, this can happen when the artery begins to bleed. As a result, part of the brain may die, and this can affect the functioning of the body. The functions that may be affected due to a stroke include speaking, thinking as well as communication and movement. The condition can be categorized into two; ischaemic stroke and haemorrhagic stroke; the former happen when there are particles blocking the artery supplying blood to the brain while the latter happens when there is bleeding off the artery. The symptoms of the condition include motor impairments, sensory impairment, speech difficulties, vision difficulties and dizziness (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2013). As a norm, stroke patients undergo a specific pathway form the initial event to rehabilitation. The pathway is designed to give caregivers and the family of the patient with information on how to provide proper care for the stroke patient. When a person suffers a stroke, they are directly admitted to an acute specialist unit. The purpose of this admission is for the specialist to carry out an initial assessment of the patient. After the initial assessment, the specialist recommends for the patient to be transferred to the ambulance for transfer to the emergency department. Ambulance services are the central point for caring for stroke patients, and these patients should receive priority as compared to other emergencies. The ambulance services should notify the hospital’s emergency department to prepare and receive the patient adequately. A comprehensive approach that involves the high-priority assignment of ambulances to stroke patients, as well as the early notification of the emergency department, helps in improving the management of stroke patients. At the ambulance, the team can use several screening tools that are meant to be used pre-hospital; examples of the tools that have been adopted around Australia include Los Angeles Pre-hospital Stroke Screen along with the Melbourne Ambulance Stroke Screen. The specific training for the ambulance personnel helps in the using of these tools and arriving at diagnostic accuracy (National Stroke Foundation, 2010). The ongoing care for the stroke patient is important in determining the outcomes that will be achieved. The team that handles the ongoing care of the patient has to be aware of everything that is done to the patient. Moreover, the team has to meet at least once a week to assess the progress of the patient and plan for the ongoing care. Furthermore, the family of the patient has to be kept informed and involved in all discussions on the treatment of the patient. After a stroke, the things that one took for granted such as movements and tasks of daily life may present difficulties. The aim of the process of rehabilitation is to help the stroke patients to at least relearn the skills and use special equipment to move around. Once the emergency department is notified of a potential stroke patient, all efforts are put in place to ensure that the patient is adequately received. As the ambulance arrives at the hospital’s emergency department, the physicians together with the nurses receive the patient, and the physicians evaluate the patient within the first ten minutes. Moreover, within the first twenty-five minutes of arrival, a CT scan of the patient’s head is obtained for analysis. The analysis is then done within 45 minutes, and the interpretation is then given the physicians to ascertain that indeed the patient has suffered a stroke. Furthermore, it is at the emergency department that stroke severity is assessed and recorded by the clinician by using a validated tool such as NHSS and SSS (National Stroke Foundation, 2010). The `stroke patient is then admitted to the ICU for a minimum of 24 hours, but this time can increase depending on the severity of the stroke. The essence of admitting the patient to the ICU is to enhance the level of care (Souter, 2013). The FAST tool was developed to aid in early recognition of signs of stroke. It is designed to for pre-hospital testing by members of the public. The letter F in the acronym stands for facial weakness, ‘A’ denotes arm weakness while ‘S’ and ‘T’ denote speech problems and time to call respectively. For example, the tool can be used to establish if a person can smile, raise both arms or if they can speak or comprehend what one is saying. If they do not show any of these signs, a medical emergency should be called (Torbey & Selim, 2013). The ongoing concerns post-discharge of the patient include the nutritional intake of the patient; the concern here is if the patient is following the clinician’s recommendations. Moreover, there is also the concern of lifestyle change; the patient has to adjust their lifestyle to suit their current needs, or the condition may end up being severe to the extent that they may die. The other concern is as to whether the patient’s family is helping in the rehabilitation of the patient. To conclude, stroke places a significant burden on not only the patient’s family but also the health system as well as aged-care services. The condition has become so prevalent in Australia and is the leading cause of death and disability. The health care system should put more focus on the condition and encourage people to avoid risk factors such as drinking and smoking. Moreover, a multidisciplinary should be used in treating the stroke patients. Anaphylactic reactions are severe allergic reactions that have the potential to cause the death of a person as they develop rapidly. The reactions are often treated as medical emergencies and are attended to as soon as they occur. On the first instance, the anaphylactic reactions patients are injected with adrenaline. Moreover, some patients have these reactions more than once, and they usually have and auto-adrenaline injector with them. In Australia, children are the worst affected by the reactions raising concerns in the overall health system. This article looks at the pathophysiology of anaphylactic reactions in a pre-hospital setting. Additionally, the article will also examine the immune response to the condition and its progression to anaphylaxis. The other sections of the article will discuss the community-based triggers of anaphylactic reactions along with the signs and symptoms of the reactions. Even though the doses of medication have been carefully tested and designed for specific conditions, some patients have adverse effects that have not been anticipated. The most common unpredictable response encountered in the pre-hospital setting is the anaphylactic reactions. These reactions occur when the patient is extremely sensitive to the medications or ingredients of the medication if they are used in a particular form. Given that the patient is sensitive, the medication activates the immune system; anaphylactic reactions are unpredictable unless the patient had a reaction to the same medication before. Moreover, they may lead to life-threatening anaphylaxis, and the reactions must be anticipated with any drug. Patients take several medications, and the anaphylactic reactions can be due to the interactions of the medications; one medication can alter the response to the other medication. Furthermore, one medication can block the body’s response to the other medication a situation known as drug antagonism (Zill & Dewar, 2013). An allergic reaction is an abnormal immune response to the boy when a person has been previously exposed or sensitized by a substance or allergen. Not all allergic reactions progress to anaphylaxis; some stop with pruritus. However, an allergic reaction may progress rapidly to anaphylaxis without warning. Some of the signs that may show the constant progression include itching following the administration of medication. Moreover, the formation of hives following medication may also show the progression of the allergic reaction to anaphylaxis. Furthermore, progression may also occur if there is diffuse swelling following the administration of medication; the swelling may take place in the lips, hands as well as the feet (Castells, 2011). The community-based triggers can be attributed to the foods that one takes during gatherings such as parties and weddings. At the gathering, people tend to share food and one may take food that may cause their body to have an anaphylactic reaction. The foods that may trigger the allergic reactions at the party include eggs, cow milk, and dairy products, peanuts as well as tree nuts. These reactions will show as soon the individual takes the food. These community-based triggers relate to the pathophysiology of the condition because they are some of the causes of the condition. The signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis include the difficulty in breathing, or the individual may be breathing noisily. Moreover, the difficulty in breathing or having a hoarse voice may also be a sign of anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis may also be seen by the swelling or tightness of the throat as well as wheezing and a persistent cough. In children, the condition can be identified when there is paleness or floppiness. Other signs include the swelling of the face, lips along with the eyes. Furthermore, the reactions can lead to abdominal pains and subsequent vomiting. The other sign of the condition is the rapid appearance of hives on the skin (NSW Health, 2007). In conclusion, anaphylactic reactions are severe and can lead to the death of an individual if medical attention is not sought immediately. The reactions can be triggered by several factors among them community-based factors as seen in this article. Parents should be careful what they feed their children by constantly observing their reactions when they are fed with certain foods. Moreover, for the reason that the reactions are unpredictable, it becomes essential for the paramedics to be always on high alert when administering medication to patients. This will enable them to react adequately to the patient’s condition and observe their progress henceforth. Furthermore, the patients, as well as their families, should be advised on the risk factor as well as the preventive measures that they can take to avoid the reactions. References Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2013). Stroke and its management in Australia: an update. Cardiovascular disease series no. 37. Cat. no. CVD 61. ,. Canberra: AIHW. Castells, M. (2011). Anaphylaxis and hypersensitivity reactions. New York: Humana Press. National Stroke Foundation. (2010). Clinical guidelines for stroke management. Melbourne: National Stroke Foundation. NSW Health. (2007). Guidelines for Children’s Services 2007 Anaphylaxis. Sydney: NSW Health. Retrieved from http://www.community.nsw.gov.au/docswr/_assets/main/documents/anaphylaxis_guidelines.pdf. Souter, K. (2013). Understanding and dealing with stroke. Chicago: Summersdale. Torbey, M., & Selim, M. (2013). The stroke book. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Zill, D., & Dewar, J. (2013). Precalculus with calculus previews. 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