Geriatrics Palmer Exam 2 Practice 2026 – Complete Study Resource

Strokes are categorized by mechanism into ischemic and hemorrhagic. Ischemic strokes happen when a brain artery is blocked, leading to brain tissue that doesn’t get enough blood and dies (infarction). Hemorrhagic strokes occur when a blood vessel ruptures, causing bleeding into brain tissue or surrounding spaces, which damages brain tissue through pressure and blood products. This dichotomy matters because treatments differ: ischemic strokes may be treated with clot-busting or clot-removal procedures to restore blood flow, while hemorrhagic strokes focus on stopping the bleed, controlling pressure, and managing risk factors. A transient ischemic attack is a temporary period of symptoms from reduced blood flow without actual tissue infarction, so it’s not counted as a stroke in current classifications, though it signals high future risk. Etiologies like atherosclerosis or emboli explain causes of ischemic strokes, and aneurysmal rupture is a cause of hemorrhagic stroke, but they describe mechanisms or specific causes rather than the broad categories themselves.