The acronym CVA stands for cerebrovascular accident which is the medical terminology that refers to a stroke (Stroke Association, 2012). Strokes occur due to a lack of blood flow to the brain, which is detrimental to human life. Blood provides our brain with oxygen and important nutrients, without adequate blood flow to the brain, brain tissue dies. There are two types of strokes, while each has a unique pathophysiology, they both have very similar clinical manifestations and can result in long term complications that affect various parts of an individual’s brain and inadvertently, as we have learned in this lesson, affect the person’s ability to perceive information and to complete everyday tasks.

As previously mentioned, there are two different types of strokes: hemorrhagic and ischemic (Stroke Association, 2012). A hemorrhagic stroke occurs when an individual is experiencing blood loss from a vessel and as a result, blood is unable to reach brain tissue (Stroke Association, 2012). An ischemic stroke occurs when there is a physical blockage, such as a blood clot, in the blood vessel which prevents blood flow from adequately supplying the brain (Stroke Association, 2012).

Both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes have similar symptoms, all of which stem from the CVAs effects on the brain. In nursing school, we are taught to “BE FAST” when we suspect that our patient is having a stroke; this acronym reminds us to evaluate the patient’s neurological status by assessing balance, eyes, to assess for facial drooping, arm weakness, slurred or altered speech, and finally it reminds us time is of the essence when working with these patients.

CVAs have the potential to effect either side of the brain. To understand the effects a stroke can have on the body, it is important to understand that the left hemisphere of the brain controls the right side of the body and vice versa (Stroke Association, 2012). For example, if the left hemisphere of the brain is affected by the stroke, then the right side of the body will also be affected. The left hemisphere of the brain is responsible for language, logic, and mathematics (Constant Therapy Health, 2023).  If the left hemisphere of the brain is affected by the stroke, then Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area will likely be affected. Broca’s area controls our ability to articulate speech and Wernicke’s area controls our ability to comprehend speech. As a result, people who have a CVA that affects the left side of their brain may experience long term effects including, but not limited to weakness or paralysis of the right side of the body, the inability to speak and comprehend what others are saying to them, and the inability to perform basic mathematic calculations (Johns Hopkins, 2023). The right side of the brain affects “visual awareness,” “emotions,” and “spatial abilities” (Constant Therapy Health, 2023). Thus, if the right side of the brain is affected by a stroke, then the patient will likely experience long term effects including left sided weakness or paralysis, vision deficits, impaired ability to make decisions and control emotions, and impaired depth perception (Johns Hopkins, 2023).

All in all, a stroke is a very serious medical event that can result in the death of brain tissue if not treated in a timely manner. Nevertheless, even if a CVA is treated in a timely manner, patients who experience a stroke will likely suffer from various long term effects depending on which area(s) of their brain was affected.

References

Constant Therapy Health. (2023). Right brain injury vs. left brain injury: Understanding the impact of brain injury on daily life. https://constanttherapyhealth.com/brainwire/right-brain-injury-vs-left-brain-injury-understanding-impact-brain-injury-daily-life

Johns Hopkins. (2023). Effects of stroke. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/stroke/effects-of-stroke

Stroke Association. (2012, December). What is a stroke? https://www.stroke.org.uk/sites/default/files/What%20is%20a%20stroke.pdf