Questions to ask family after stroke

morte, LPN, LVN · Sep 6, 2008

i would think that would be the connection, i wasthinking particularly of valve issues,,,but int practice (real world) i might just ask daughter how involved she is,,,this may be the extent of what she knows!!

nightmare, RN · Sep 6, 2008

I think I would be asking questions on just how much he can do for himself.Can he cook a meal from scratch or are his meals provided? How is his hygiene level ,is he managing to keep himself properly clean etc. How much of the confusion he now has existed before his stroke?

nrsang97, BSN, RN · Sep 7, 2008

I would ask what exact mediation he is taking and if she dosen't know to bring in the bottles.

I would also ask what kind of heart problem, arrhythmia (atril fibrilation) , history of valve replacement?

Has he had confusion prior to the stroke?

What can he do for himself , cook, clean, etc.

A patient who is on blood thinners is at risk for a bleed. Ask about any recent falls, he could have a small ICH (intracranial hemorrhage) or SDH ( subdural hematoma).

He possibly has atrial fibrilation which causes strokes because the heart isn't pumping efficently and sometimes the patient will "Throw" a clot and cause a stroke or MI.

I hope this helps some.

lpnflorida · Sep 7, 2008

I would also consider asking is someone in the family available for what could be 24 hour care upon discharge if returning to home environment is viable.

misswoosie · Oct 17, 2008

Ok so I tried finding the answer to this case scenario but I cannot seem to find anything pertaining to what you would ask the family member.. Can anybody help? This is the case scenario
Alfred Jamison, age 74, is admitted to the neurology medical unit for a possible stroke. His daughter says he has been living independently and has no problems with memory or taking care of himself. She also says he has a "heart problem" and takes a blood thinner. He is very confused, has right-sided weakness, and fluent speech.
What questions do you have for Alfred's daughter?
That is the question I am having trouble with. We are supposed to answer and provide a rationale. Im thinking one question could be exactly what heart problem and how long he has had it since people with coronary heart disease or heart failure have a higher risk of stroke than those with hearts that work normally. Another might be which blood thinner he has been taking and when his last dose was. Can anyone help with any more information?

Silly question!

It does not tell you if he went to ER first and they have asessed him for stroke and decided he is not suitable for thrombolysis.

If you were the first point of contact-you would need to know

1When was the onset of the weakness-was it sudden or gradual

2 Has he had a fall recently? (he is anticoagulated and may have a sub dural bleed sec to trauma.

3.has he had anything like this in the past

4. Other meds

He is most likely anticoagulated for stroke prevention, at this stage doesn't really matter whether it's for AF or valve disease-as either can cause thrombi in the heart and lead to stroke

If the onset was suden and less than 2 hours ago then he needs rapid neurological assesment by a physician and code stroke should be implemented.

Need CT head

bloods-check INR

etc