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Suggest Treatment For Hemorrhagic Stroke
Question: My wife is 78 and had a severe hemorrhage stroke hitting the speech area of the brain. Subsequently, she had a second stroke, which has left her bed ridden in nursing home, though she is now in a nearby hospital with symptoms of pneumonia; the doctors do not sound hopeful. Thank you for your thoughts.
XXXXXXX XXXX
XXXXXXX XXXX
Brief Answer:
sounds serious...
Detailed Answer:
Hello XXXXXXX
your wife has a medical history burdened with very serious problems. The strokes can cause big problems because they may impair the patient's ability to manage the throat and avoid aspiration of food, water, saliva, etc. Many patients develop pneumonia caused by aspiration. I don't know if this is the case with her but the PEG makes me suspicious that it is. We usually use the PEG when the patient cannot be fed normally. This is usually the case with patients that have no sensory input from their throat structures or the motor coordination of the throat muscles is impaired.
So in conclusion, aspiration pneumonia (please inform me about the right diagnosis, if I'm wrong to assume aspiration) is a very serious situation that can be difficult to handle. It requires antibiotic treatment and regular suctioning to remove the phlegm which is usually abundant. I can't give you an accurate prognosis obviously because her doctors know her exact condition and have seen all the tests. A final note about strokes. A patient who has had a stroke in the past is a candidate for more strokes in the future.
Please contact me again, if you'd like more information about your wife's problem.
My best wishes for an uneventful recovery!
sounds serious...
Detailed Answer:
Hello XXXXXXX
your wife has a medical history burdened with very serious problems. The strokes can cause big problems because they may impair the patient's ability to manage the throat and avoid aspiration of food, water, saliva, etc. Many patients develop pneumonia caused by aspiration. I don't know if this is the case with her but the PEG makes me suspicious that it is. We usually use the PEG when the patient cannot be fed normally. This is usually the case with patients that have no sensory input from their throat structures or the motor coordination of the throat muscles is impaired.
So in conclusion, aspiration pneumonia (please inform me about the right diagnosis, if I'm wrong to assume aspiration) is a very serious situation that can be difficult to handle. It requires antibiotic treatment and regular suctioning to remove the phlegm which is usually abundant. I can't give you an accurate prognosis obviously because her doctors know her exact condition and have seen all the tests. A final note about strokes. A patient who has had a stroke in the past is a candidate for more strokes in the future.
Please contact me again, if you'd like more information about your wife's problem.
My best wishes for an uneventful recovery!
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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