Seizures result from abnormal and excessive firing of neurons in the brain. Seizures are either focal, and restricted to a small portion of the brain, or generalized and involve the entire brain. High fevers are the main culprit in children, … Continued

Performing a quick, targeted neurological assessment could make the difference between a full recovery or permanent neurological deficits for stroke patients. The NIH stroke scale assesses the effect of acute stroke on the level of consciousness, facial movement/ symmetry, eye … Continued

The Glasgow Coma Scale and cranial nerves are crucial components of neuro assessments. GCS scores range from a low of 3, for comatose patients, to a high of 15 for alert/oriented patients. The scale gets confusing with patients who require … Continued

Learning brain anatomy begins with remembering that HIGH order brain functions originate from HIGH up in the brain.The cerebral cortex and its four lobes are the highest physical parts of the brain and together they make us who were are. … Continued

Levels of Consciousness *Alert Normal *Patients who are alert is awake or easily awakened by voice from a normal sleep stage are considered alert. *Lethargic *Drowsy *Patients who awaken briefly and answer questions appropriately but easily fall asleep care considered lethargic. Somnolent *Very drowsy *Somnolent patients show excessive drowsiness and respond to stimuli with incoherent […]

There’s two main types of COPD, emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Rarely, does a COPD patient suffer from just one or the other but usually have a mixture of the two. The patho for each varies a little. Both are caused … Continued

Let’s simplify oxygen delivery devices. Nasal cannulas fit inside the patient’s nose to deliver a little extra FiO2, like for patients having chest pain. Simple face masks are great for patients needing extra FiO2 but tend to breathe through their mouths. Non-rebreathers have one-way valves preventing re-breathing room air thus delivering a very high amount […]

There are three main classifications of NORMAL lung sounds and they are named according to where they are normally heard. Bronchial sounds are normally heard anteriorly over the trachea and are really loud and high pitched. As we move DOWN … Continued

The symptoms of heart failure that will present themselves in our patients are entirely dependent on the type of heart failure. Now, if you’re a cardiac specialist or advanced practice nurse, you’ll learn more about combined type heart failure, preserved … Continued

In addition to EKG’s, we utilize cardiac biomarkers to determine extent of ischemia and infarction. There are a few main cardiac biomarkers, or also called cardiac enzymes, that we will monitor. As you’ll see, each one has a specific timeline of when it presents, peaks, and returns to normal. Therefore the most accurate way to […]