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Home » Areas of Practice » Labor Laws » Job Hazards » Stroke

Ischemic Stroke

Ischemic stroke happens when an artery carrying fresh blood from the heart and lungs to the brain is clogged. Oxygen and nutrients are carried via the bloodstream to the brain, while carbon dioxide and cell waste is ushered away from the brain. Once an artery is blocked, the neurons, or brain cells, cannot produce sufficient energy to continue functioning. If the blockage continues for more than a few minutes, the neurons could die. For this reason, emergency medical care is extremely vital.

Causes

Various diseases can lead to ischemic stroke, the most common of which causes the arteries in the neck or head to narrow as a result of cholesterol deposits lining their interior. This is called atherosclerosis. If the arteries get to be too thin, blood cells may gather and begin to clot. There are two kinds of blood clots:

  • Thrombosis -- blood clots block the artery in the same spot as they are formed.
  • Embolism -- blood clots are displaced from the wall of the artery and become trapped in arteries closer to the brain.

Blood clots in the heart also may cause a stroke. This can be due to an irregular heartbeat (e.g., atrial fibrillation), heart attack, or anomalies of the heart valves. These are the most frequent causes of ischemic stroke, but others include narcotics, traumatic injury to blood vessels within the neck, or other blood clot abnormalities.

When diseased or damaged cerebral arteries develop a blood clot that grows large enough to prevent blood flow, a thrombotic stroke occurs. Also known as cerebral thrombosis, half of all strokes are caused by this condition. This term can be further divided into two categories depending on the area of the brain where the blockage occurs. Large-vessel thrombosis occurs when the blockage impacts one of the brain's larger arteries such as the carotid or middle cerebral. Small-vessel thrombosis affects at least one of the tinier arteries that reach deeper into the brain. This second type of thrombosis is also referred to as lacuner stroke.

An embolic stroke is caused by a blood clot inside an artery as well, but the clot originates in a section of the body besides the brain. Usually starting in the heart, the clot will navigate the bloodstream until it reaches a point to narrow to pass. Obviously, this prohibits an ample amount of blood from reaching the brain, resulting in sudden physical and neurological impairment.