Stroke⚡Mnemonic⚡ : 100% Chance You Won’t Forget !

Causes of Stroke

Mnemonic: “FISH BOWL“

F: Fibrillation (atrial)

I: Ischemia (cerebral)

S: Stenosis (arterial)

H: Hypertension

B: Blood disorders (e.g., polycythemia)

O: Obesity

W: Weak heart valves (e.g., valvular disease)

L: Lipid disorders (high cholesterol)

Triggers for Stroke

Mnemonic: “COLD RAIN“

C: Cocaine use

O: Overexertion

L: Low blood pressure

D: Dehydration

R: Rapid blood pressure changes

A: Alcohol excess

I: Infections (e.g., endocarditis)

N: Nocturnal sleep apnea

Risk Factors for Stroke

Mnemonic: “SMOKE FAST“

S: Smoking

M: Migraines with aura

O: Obesity

K: Khat chewing

E: Excessive alcohol

F: Family history

A: Age (older)

S: Sedentary lifestyle

T: Transient ischemic attacks history

Warning Signs of Stroke

Mnemonic: “FACE DROPS“

F: Facial drooping

A: Arm weakness

C: Confusion

E: Eye vision problems

D: Dizziness

R: Rapid onset of symptoms

O: Odd speech (slurred)

P: Paralysis

S: Severe headache

Predisposing Factors of Stroke

Mnemonic: “BRAIN SET“

B: Blood pressure high

R: Rheumatic heart disease

A: Atherosclerosis

I: Irregular heart rhythm

N: Narrow arteries

S: Smoking

E: Excess weight

T: Type 2 diabetes

Signs & Symptoms of Stroke

Mnemonic: “SUDDEN HIT“

S: Speech difficulty

U: Unilateral facial droop

D: Dizziness

D: Difficulty walking

E: Eyesight loss

N: Numbness (one-sided)

H: Headache (severe)

I: Incoordination

T: Trouble with comprehension

Characteristic Findings in Stroke

Mnemonic: “CLUTCH BRAIN“

C: CT scan shows infarct

L: Loss of consciousness (in some types)

U: Unilateral weakness

T: Talking difficulties

C: Confusion

H: Hemiplegia

B: Babinski sign positive

R: Reflex changes

A: Aphasia

I: Impaired sensory function

N: Neglect (spatial)

What Should Be Avoided in Stroke

Mnemonic: “STOP HARM“

S: Smoking

T: Too much alcohol

O: Overeating

P: Physical inactivity

H: High-cholesterol diet

A: Aggravating stress

R: Raising blood pressure

M: Missing medications

Drugs Used to Treat Stroke

Mnemonic: “CLOT BUSTER“

C: Clopidogrel

L: Low molecular weight heparin

O: Oxygen therapy

T: Tissue Plasminogen Activator (tPA)

B: Beta-blockers

U: Urokinase

S: Statins

T: Thrombolytics

E: Enoxaparin

R: Rivaroxaban

Drugs to Avoid in Stroke

Mnemonic: “NO BLOOD“

N: NSAIDs (increased risk of bleeding)

O: Oral contraceptives (in stroke-prone women)

B: Blood thinners (if hemorrhagic stroke)

L: Licorice (natural, in excess)

O: Opioids (risk of respiratory depression)

O: Over-the-counter stimulants

D: Decongestants (can increase blood pressure)

Radiological Features of Stroke

Mnemonic: “BRAIN SCAN“

B: Bleeding (in hemorrhagic stroke)

R: Reduced blood flow

A: Asymmetry in cerebral hemispheres

I: Infarct zone visible

N: Necrosis (late feature)

S: Swelling of brain tissue

C: Cerebral artery occlusion

A: Atrophy (in chronic cases)

N: Normal initially in ischemic stroke

Diagnostic Tests for Stroke

Mnemonic: “MUST CHECK“

M: MRI

U: Ultrasound (carotid)

S: Swallowing study

T: Tomography (CT)

C: Cerebral angiogram

H: Hematologic tests

E: ECG (electrocardiogram)

C: CT angiography

K: Kidney function tests

Laboratory Findings in Stroke

Mnemonic: “BLOOD MARKS“

B: Blood sugar levels (may be altered)

L: Lipid profile

O: Oxygen saturation

O: Osmolality of serum

D: D-dimer (elevated in some cases)

M: Markers of inflammation (e.g., CRP)

A: APTT (activated partial thromboplastin time)

R: Renal function tests

K: K+ (potassium) levels

S: Sodium levels

Drug Interactions of Stroke Medications

Mnemonic: “AVOID MIX“

A: Anticoagulants with NSAIDs

V: Vitamin K antagonists with certain antibiotics

O: Oral contraceptives with hypertension drugs

I: Insulin with beta-blockers

D: Diuretics with lithium

M: MAO inhibitors with SSRIs

I: Isoniazid with seizure medications

X: Xarelto with ketoconazole

Contraindications of Stroke Medications

Mnemonic: “NO DRUGS“

N: NSAIDs in hemorrhagic stroke

O: Oral anticoagulants in uncontrolled hypertension

D: Dabigatran with kidney failure

R: Rivaroxaban in liver disease

U: Urokinase in recent surgery

G: Ginkgo Biloba with anticoagulants

S: Statins in active liver disease

Indications of Stroke Medications

Mnemonic: “USE CARE“

U: Urokinase for acute ischemic stroke

S: Statins for atherosclerosis management

E: Enoxaparin for venous thromboembolism prevention

C: Clopidogrel for antiplatelet therapy

A: Aspirin for secondary prevention

R: rtPA (alteplase) for thrombolysis

E: Edaravone (in some countries) for neuroprotection

Side Effects of Stroke Medications

Mnemonic: “SIDE HITS“

S: Stomach upset (aspirin)

I: Intracranial hemorrhage (anticoagulants)

D: Dizziness (antihypertensives)

E: Excessive bleeding (thrombolytics)

H: Hypotension (beta-blockers)

I: Insomnia (some statins)

T: Thrombocytopenia (heparin)

S: Stool changes (clopidogrel)

Clinical Features of Stroke

Mnemonic: “SUDDEN LOSS“

S: Slurred speech

U: Unilateral numbness

D: Difficulty in understanding

D: Dizziness or loss of balance

E: Eye problems (e.g., loss of vision in one eye)

N: Nausea

L: Loss of consciousness (rare)

O: Orientation confusion

S: Severe headache

S: Sudden onset of symptoms

Complications of Stroke

Mnemonic: “POST STROKE“

P: Pneumonia

O: Osteoporosis (from immobility)

S: Seizures

T: Thrombosis (deep vein)

S: Speech difficulties

T: Trouble swallowing

R: Recurrent strokes

O: Orthostatic hypotension

K: Kidney problems (from immobility)

E: Emotional changes (depression)

Differential Diagnosis of Stroke

Mnemonic: “BRAIN TESTS“

B: Brain tumors

R: Respiratory issues (e.g., hypoxia)

A: Abscess in brain

I: Infections (encephalitis, meningitis)

N: Neurological disorders (e.g., multiple sclerosis)

T: Traumatic brain injury

E: Epilepsy (postictal paralysis)

S: Syncope

T: Toxic/metabolic encephalopathy

S: Systemic diseases affecting brain function