Stroke-Related Pulmonary Complications and Abnormal Respiratory Patterns

Abstract

SUMMARY S troke is clinical syndrome of rapid onset of focal or global cerebral deficit, lasting more than 24 hours (unless interrupted by surgery or death), with no apparent cause other than a vascular one (Easton et al., 2009). Ischemic stroke (thrombotic and embolic) accounts for 87% of all strokes while, hemorrhagic stroke (intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage) accounts for 13% of all strokes (Members et al., 2014). The initial evaluation requires a rapid but broad assessment to stabilize vital signs, confirm diagnosis, determine if intracranial hemorrhage is present, and decide if reperfusion therapy with intravenous thrombolysis or mechanical thrombectomy is warranted for patients with ischemic stroke (Jauch et al., 2013). Pulmonary complications of acute stroke are common and often lead to poor clinical outcomes. So the frequency of these complications must be recognized so that preventive strategies and appropriate treatment are employed (Weimar et al., 2002). Pneumonia is one of the most common respiratory complications of acute stroke, occurring in about 5 to 7 percent of patients. Stroke-related pneumonia is associated with a higher mortality and a poorer long-term outcome. Risk factors for in-hospital pneumonia include older age, dysarthria, aphasia, stroke severity, cognitive impairment, use of gastric acid suppressive medications, and an abnormal water swallow test (Finlayson et al, 2011).