Stroke

When a Stroke Strikes, BE FAST and Visit the ER

Seconds count when it comes to a stroke, so recognizing symptoms and acting fast are crucial. This simple guide can save lives:

Prevention and education are pivotal to stroke patients’ recovery. Time is critical during a stroke, so we urge everyone to learn the signs of a stroke and B-E F-A-S-T (Balance, Eyesight, Face, Arm, Speech, Time):

• Balance Issues
  Is the person having loss of coordination, trouble walking or dizziness?
• Eyesight Changes
  Is the person having double vision or any trouble seeing?
• Face Drooping
  Does the face look uneven? Ask the person to smile.
• Arm Weakness
  Does one arm drift down? Ask the person to raise both arms.
• Speech Difficulty
  Does their speech sound strange? Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase.
• Time
  If you observe any of these signs, call 911 and get to the emergency room.

Stroke Warning Signs

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden, severe headache with no known cause

Stroke Risk Factors Include:

• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• Smoking
• Heavy alcohol use
• Physical inactivity and obesity
• Atrial fibrillation
• Family history of stroke

Tele-Stroke Programs

Our Tele-stroke programs connects our neurologists to patients in our emergency departments and to patients in outlying hospitals’ emergency departments using a telemedicine cart and laptop connections. Neurologists are able to quickly and efficiently provide a diagnosis and best treatment options using the technology.

The level of recovery from strokes is often greatly impacted by what action is taken in the first few hours after a stroke is discovered. With telemedicine, a suspected stroke patient can be seen by a specialist and receive an initial treatment at the community hospital long before they could have been transported directly to our care.