AVM Project Please Help!

[mlpost]

Hi!

I am an honors RN student at a local college. I am doing a paper on brain AVM's. I worked as a CNA doing homecare for a 13 year old boy who had an undiagnosed AVM rupture. So I know what the post-avm duties include. I was wondering if anyone could help me...I need to find out the nursing interventions, and nursing assessments that would be needed to care for a patient with an AVM rupture. I know there are varying degrees of ruptures as well. I think that is why I am having some trouble...also i am having trouble finding information, not about the AVM itself, but about nursing measures taken when caring for a patient with an AVM. A lot of the information I am finding is how to diagnose and treat an AVM....anything would be helpful!

:redbeathe Thanks,

Marissa

[GrnHonu08]

they would be mostly the same as pts with stroke. impaired swallow is a big one..patient safety, assisting with PT/OT for rehab....maxamizing independence...as for acute care pre op nurses would want to decrease stimulation to keep SBP less than 110. Institue neuro checks q1-2 hours.

[nightshiftnut]

I would pretty much agree with the above post. Self care deficits, dysphagia, some expressive aphasia. My Dad started having seizures and horrible headaches in the 70's. At that point the AVM was inoperable. He was in his 30's at that point. Over the years his vision declined to the point of tunnel vision. For 40 years the AVM loomed. Two years ago they suggested Gamma-Knife, but were unable to perform. He had mass effect and steriods were initiated without success. It was absolutley terrible for my Dad in the end. I visit on a Friday and he's eating gumdrops and talking about the newest book he had just finished. Two days later, he cannot walk, generalized weakness, unable to swallow or care for himself, his brain had a mass effect and 7 weeks later he passed.