Can massive blood loss cause brain damage?
“Can massive blood loss cause brain damage?”Absolutely. The brain requires constant perfusion by oxygenated blood. “Massive blood loss “ causes hypotension. Hypotension can cause characteristic strokes, called “watershed strokes.”Watershed stroke - WikipediaThe hypotensive stroke.http://stroke.ahajournals.org/co...
What damages can a blood clot reaching the brain cause?
Normally there is a balance between antithrombotic and thrombotic systems that keeps the blood from clotting or prevents us from bleeding excessively. If there is a disorder in either of these systems which might be genetic or acquired the blood may clot inside the vessels.There are three basic causes of clotting; vascular damage, hypercoagulability and stasis of blood flow. These causes are called the Virchow's triad. If any of these factors are present then it means that there is an increased risk of clotting.When a blood clot reaches one of the arteries of the brain and blocks the blood flow, the outcome depends on the exact location of the blockage. The brain has various areas which are responsible for its functions (Brodmann areas) and each cerebral artery has its own area to supply blood. So when an artery is blocked by a clot a certain area becomes ischemic and therefore dysfunctional.
After a stroke caused by a clot, how long does the blood clot remain in the brain?
There is an adage that when something involves the brain, it's like real estate - it's all location, location and location. Even with the evolution of intracranial bleeds, location (what space they occur in) is important. The Question suggests it is about intracerebral bleeds (blood within the brain itself, instead of around it), so I will answer accordingly.All clot within the brain eventually reabsorbs, if the patient lives long enough. There is much variability in how long this takes, but in general, the larger the clot, the longer it takes.A small "bruise" may disappear in a week or two on CT or MRI. A larger clot may take 3 - 6 weeks to clear. The really big ones may clear in terms of their density on CT, but will show permanent MRI changes and leave a cavity and distorted residual brain behind.Please keep in mind that if you look hard enough (for example, using PET scanning, or post-mortem fine histology) you can find identifiable residua more often and for a longer time.Also keep in mind that such structural evaluations have only a weak relation to how well the brain functions around the clot, and how quickly recovery of that function takes place. Anyone who has been in this business long enough will remember a patient with normal CT and MRI who nevertheless exhibits a deep and prolonged coma. On the other hand, we occasionally see surprisingly good function in patients with impressive clots in so-called "non-silent" parts of the brain.It's amazing I think to see how the body has a sense of what tissue belongs where and in what quantities - even in the brain, which is more isolated from healing and immunological cells than other organs. Hope this helps!
What happens if there are blood clots in brain?
When you have blood clots in the brain the result is determined by how big they are and how many there are. One really big clot can block off the blood supplt to a large part of the brain and kill you. Smaller blood vessels when blocked off will cause strokes and you may get some resolution of some of the symptoms of these types of stroke. Very tiny clots may have no noticeable deficit or may show up as loss of some brain function depending on the areas/s affected. eg loss of movement, loss of memory. To give you a better answer we would need to know why he is clotting, he may have a number of different reasons for this. Best wishes.
How long can Lactulose work for someone with end-stage liver cirrhosis?
Lactulose is used to get rid of ammonia for people with cirrhosis. It will work as long as the patient takes it. The ammonia is removed through bowel movements. High ammonia levels can cause a condition called encephalopathy which causes confusion, memory loss, behavior changes, hallucinations, and even coma and death if the levels get super high with no treatment. Of course, Lactulose also can cause a lot of diarrhea since that is the side effect. If your grandfather has continued bleeding day after day, he could get anemic from the blood loss. Cirrhosis causes lots of problems with bleeding. Unwanted veins grow called varix that can leak and bleed. Blood doesn't clot like it should. Any bleeding can be hard to stop. They bruise very easy. It's all part of the disease which is especially true when a person is in the end stage of the disease. Your grandfather can take the Lactulose as long as he is alive. The doctors usually increase the dosage if the ammonia levels continue to go up.
I'm just 20 and my memory is getting worse recently, can anyone explain why?
There are a LOT of possibilities. Illegal drug use. Prescription drug use side effects -- read all that fine print! Also, remember combinations of drugs (including illegal, prescription, OTC and even "herbal") can interact to make a side effect. Memory loss IS a side effect of common prescriptions you could be taking. MOST LIKELY: LACK OF SLEEP. Like 80% of college students are sleep deprived according to a study I read about 10 years ago. Lack of sleep seriously messes with the ability to form and retrieve memories. ANOTHER LIKELY SUSPECT: Depression. Same thing as lack of sleep. ANOTHER LIKELY ONE: Alcohol "abuse" - too much drinking, but I'm sure you thought of that. However, combine drinking, and say allergy medicine(!), and being depressed, and lack of sleep, and it COULD be your answer. Nutritional deficiencies -- for some mysterious, no cause you can really find reason -- will suddenly show up and they can cause memory problems too. Too little Vitamin B-12 does it. (I know someone who gets shots -- goes from "foggy" thinking just before, to "normal" after! Always know when he's late for his shot this way!) Also, I believe it is too much calcium that will cause memory lapse as well. On the totally obvious side, if you've hit your head... On the scary side, blood clot in the brain aka impending stroke or having already had a "little stroke" could be responsible as could a brain tumor. Also, although this DOESN'T sound like it, you're about the age Schizophrenia manifests itself, and some forms come with hallucinations and "fugue states" -- that's NOT memory probs, of course, but as it's a type of "confusion", I just thought I'd mention it. WHAT YOU SHOULD DO is (1) check all drugs you ingest to see if that COULD be it, and if it seems a possibility, consult a doctor/pharmacist and, if that isn't it, or in addition, (2) go to a doctor and have blood work done to test for B-12 and calcium (or whatever it is) and whatever else a doctor might think of (which will include some form of CAT scan on your head as well) because yes, you ARE way way WAY too young to be experiencing normal age related forgetfulness which doesn't "strike" until more like Senior Citizen status. (BTW, the earliest early onset Alzehiemers I've heard of was someone in their 40's, but that's usually connected to OTHER medical conditions as well).
What do you call it when you have a stroke and blood clot together?
There are two types of stroke. One where you get bleeding into the brain (haemorrhagic stroke) and one where you get a blood clot blocking the blood supply to a certain area of the brain (a thrombotic stroke), which causes ischaemia and cell death in the brain.
My boyfriend who is admitted in hospital due to brain clot has a memory problem due to which I have to remind him everyday of who I am. What kind of memory loss is this and will he be fine?
Most commonly, loss of ability to retain memories is due to damage to the medial temporal lobe. Prognosis (expected outcome) is based on many factors. It cannot be predicted from afar. Even the treating doctors may tell you (with good reason) that outcome is variable based on individual factors (inherent brain resiliency, age, other general health, details of the mechanism, etc). Understandably, people want to know what will happen. But prediction is not an accurate science.