Stroke and Encephalopathies

​The attached PowerPoint is from Dr. Cokgor.  She did a wonderful presentation on “Cryptogenic Stroke” last Wednesday. 

Cryptogenic Stroke definition is basically - An ischemic stroke occurring without being able to discover the cause/source. Crypto (hidden or secret) Genic (producing or forming) Meaning that what produced the stroke is unknown.

Dr. Cokgor has several points that she wants to stress to us as nurses caring for the Cryptogenic Stroke Patient - Remember we do not know the cause for the stroke so……
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1. Monitor their telemetry closely- watch for signs of atrial fib or any other arrhythmia
2. Look for signs of infection
3. Take a good history and ask the patient about drugs and alcohol (they might tell you and not the doctor)
4. Family history of strokes
5. Recent Miscarriages: This is an excerpt from the article - CONCLUSIONS: Both idiopathic and antiphospholipid syndrome (APS)-associated recurrent miscarriage were associated with a similar long-term risk of thrombosis.