Cerebral Vascular Accident

Pathophysiological Process: A cerebral vascular accident, also known as a stroke, is a sudden loss of consciousness followed by paralysis, caused by bleeding into the brain, formation of a blood clot that blocks an artery, or rupture of an artery in the brain that causes bleeding into the subarachnoid space. Most commonly, a clot is the cause. Other plaque material or pieces of blood clots that travel to the brain from other sources can also cause a stroke. Another cause of a stroke is related to hardening of the arteries, which allows fatty deposits to accumulate inside the arteries causing a blockage that will travel and will block a part of the brain. The risk of stroke includes having a history of very high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, leukemia; aplastic anemia; brain tumors; gout; high cholesterol, and birth control pills use.

Three expected Nursing Diagnoses: