Medical Flash Cards 2

Slurred Speech

• Hypoglycemia
• Postictal State
• Subdural or Epidural Bleeding

The reset period of the brain.

A LAC or tear of the middle meningeal artery usually caused by blunt trauma, causing bleeding b/w the dura mater and the skull.

A venus  tear or LAC below the dura mater usually caused by blunt trauma.

Sudden, erratic firing of the neurons of the brain.

• Generalized - Affects a large portion of the brain.
• Partial - Affects a limited area of the brain.

• Absence (Petit Mal)
• Tonic-Clonic (Grand Mal)

• Simple partial seizure
• Complex partial seizure

A seizure characterized by severe twitching of all of the body's muscles that may last several min. or more.

Sensations experienced before an attack occurs.

Steady, rigid muscle contractions with no relaxation.

Arched back and rigidity

Rhythmic contraction of major muscle groups.

Major muscles relax

• Aura
• LOC
• Tonic phase
• Hypertonic phase
• Clonic Phase
• Post seizure
• Postictal

A seizure that may be characterized by a brief lapse of attention in which the pt. may stare and does not respond.

A child

A seizure involving movement or altered sensations in one part of the body; the movement may stay in one body part or may spread to another part in a wave.

 A seizure that involves subtle changes in the LOC that may include confusion, less alertness, hallucinations, and inability to speak.

A seizure that last more than 4 or 5 min. or seizures that recur without a pt. regaining consciousness b/w them.

Low sodium levels

• F - Focus (Generalized or Focal)
• A - Activity (Type of movements)
• C - Color or Cocaine (Cyanosis? Indications of cocaine use?)
• T - Time (How long did the seizure last)
• S - Secondary Information (Meds? Incontinence? Tongue/cheek biting? Events leading up to the seizure)

Inflammation of the meninges.

Inflammation in the brain

• A seizure that occurs as a result of a sudden high fever. 
• **Its not how high the fever gets, but how fast it gets there**

Weakness on one side of the body.

Extreme fatigue or drowsiness.

Pt. is not thinking clearly or is incapable of being aroused.

Fainting - The sudden and temporary LOC with accompanying loss of postural tone.

• A - Alcohol, Acidosis
• E - Encephalitis, Epilepsy
• I - Insulin
• O - Overdose
• U - Uremia
• T - Trauma
• I - Infection
• P - Psychiatric
• S - Seizure

• Decorticate Posturing
• Decerebrate Posturing

Pt. flexes the arms and curls them toward the chest, points toes, and flexes wrist.

Pt. points toes, flexes wrist, and extends arms outward.

Clenched teeth

3

• Facial Droop - Ask pt. to smile and show teeth.
• Arm Drift - Ask pt. to hold arms out with palms up and close eyes.
• Speech - Ask pt. to say "You can't teach an old dog new tricks"

Paralysis to one side of the body.

110 - 120 mm Hg

95% - 100%

• "Cats eyes and cats crys"
• Pupil size - oval shape indicates increased ICP
• Crys - High pitched catlike cry indicates increased ICP

30

Legal

Illegal

A substance that is toxic by nature, no matter how it gets into the body or in what quantities it is taken.

A substance that has some therapeutic effect when given in the appropriate circumstances and in the appropriate dose.

When a drug (licit or illicit) is taken in excess.

The study of toxic or poisonous substances.

• Ingestion
• Inhalation
• Injection
• Absorption

The syndrome-like symptoms of a poisonous agent.

The self administration of licit or illicit substances in a manner not in accord with approved medical or social practice.

Any use of drugs that causes physical, psychological, economic, legal, or social harm to the user or to others affected by the drug users behavior.

Psychological dependence on a drug.

A physiological state of adaptation to a drug, usually characterized by tolerance to the drugs effect and a withdrawal syndrome if the drug is stopped.

The emotional state of craving a drug to maintain a feeling of well-being.

Physiologic adaptation to the effects of a drug such that increasing larger doses of the drug are required to achieve the same effect.

A predictable set of s/s, usually involving altered CNS activity, that occurs after the abrupt cessation of a drug or after rapidly decreasing the usual dosage of a drug.

A chronic disorder characterized by the compulsive use of a substance resulting in physical, psychological, or social harm to the user, who continues to use the substance despite the harm.

Something that counteracts the action of something else.

Enhancement of the effect of one drug by another drug.

• The action of two substances, in which the total effect is greater than the sum of the independent effects.
• 2+2=5

A state of physical and psychological addiction to ethanol (ETOH).

A severe withdrawal syndrome seen in people with alcoholism who are deprived of ethyl alcohol.

A drug that produces sleep or AMS.

• Opiate
• Opioid

Natural drugs derived from opium.

Non-opium derived synthetics.

An agent that produces an excited state.

The dried leaves and flower buds of the cannabis sativa plant that are smoked to achieve a high.

An agent that produces false perceptions in any one of the five senses.

Crossing of the senses.

A drug that reduces anxiety and calms agitated pt.

A drug that produces drowsiness and sleep.

Potent sedative-hypnotics

The family of sedative-hypnotics most commonly used to treat anxiety, seizures, and alcohol withdrawal.

A class of chemical found in many insecticides used in agriculture and in the home.

• S - Salivation, Sweating
• L - Lacrimation
• U - Urination
• D - Defecation, Drooling, Diarrhea
• G - Gastric upset and cramps
• E - Emesis
• M - Miosis, Muscle twitching

• D- Diarrhea
• U - Urination
• M - Miosis
• B - Bradycardia, Bronchospasm
• E - Emesis
• L - Lacrimation
• S - Seizures, Salivation, Sweating

An odorless, highly poisonous gas that results from incomplete oxidation of carbon in combustion.

Chemicals that are acids or alkalis.

• A sedative and CNS depressant
• Date rape drug

Compounds made up principally of hydrogen and carbon atoms mostly obtained from the distillation of petroleum.

A group of drugs used to treat severe depression and manage pain.

Psychiatric medications used primarily to treat atypical depression by increasing norepinephrine and serotonin levels in the CNS.

A class of antidepressant that inhibits the reuptake of serotonin.

The cornerstone drug for the Tx of bipolar disorder.

Aspirinlike drugs

• Salmonella
• Listeria
• Toxoplasma

• A common house plant that resembles "elephant ears"; ingestion leads to burns of the mouth and tongue and possibly paralysis of the vocal cords and N/V.
• AKA Dumb Cane

How a person functions or acts in response to his or her environment.

The point at which a persons reactions to events interfere with activities of daily living (ADL).

• The basic activities a person usually accomplishes during a normal day.
• Ex: eating, dressing

A persistent feeling of sadness, despair, and discouragement.

An illness with psychological or behavioral symptoms that may result in impaired function.

• Organic (Physical)
• Functional (Psychological)

A temporary or permanent dysfunction of the brain, caused by a disturbance in the physical or physiologic functioning of brain tissue.

A change in the way a person thinks or behaves.

A disorder in which there is no known physiologic reason for the abnormal functioning of an organ or system.

 symptom of illness that is caused by mental factors as opposed to physical ones.

A mental disorder characterized by the loss of contact with reality.