Stroke: It's Time Versus Brain!

• I know it’s hot outside and we are talking a lot about Heat Related Emergencies – be sure to stay cool and drink plenty of fluids (water still is the best), but I wanted to remind you about another really important medical emergency – STROKE!

Stroke is a disease that affects the arteries leading to and within the brain. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood (and oxygen) it needs, so it starts to die.

Stroke Facts:

• About 795,000 Americans suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year. That’s one every 40 seconds!
• Stroke kills more than 137,000 people each year -- No. 3 cause of death in the United States.
• More females (60%) die from stroke than males (40%).
• Stroke-related medical care costed approximately $73.7 billion in 2010.

The faster a stroke is identified the quicker treatments that save lives can be started! For clot-buster drugs to be effective they MUST be administered within 3-4 hours of the start of stroke symptoms. Research shows the public remains unaware of stroke’s warning signs and the need for immediate medical attention, even if the symptoms subside. Take the time to review and learn the following warning signs of Stroke.

WALK  IS THEIRS BALANCE OFF?

• Are they able to stand straight and tall? Or do they slump to one side?
• Do they appear to have lost strength on one side of their body?
• Are they leaning to one side when they try to walk?
• Are they veering off to one side?
• Are they dragging the foot on the side they are leaning toward? Can they tell you whether they can feel the side that they are leaning toward?

TALK  IS THEIR SPEECH SLURRED OR FACE DROOPY?

• Are they having problems speaking?
• Are they having problems “getting their words out?”
• Do they sound like they have something in their mouth when they speak?
• Are they saying the appropriate words (do their words make sense) when they speak?
• Does one side of their mouth droop down?

REACH  IS ONE SIDE WEAK OR NUMB?

• Ask the person to raise both their arms up together. Does one arm begin to fall down?
• Ask the person to squeeze your fingers with each hand; is one hand weaker than the other?
• If you ask the person to try to hold something like a pen, can they do it without any difficulty?
• Can the person feel you touch them on their arm? Lightly touch them on the skin of both arms, and ask them if the feeling is the same on each.

SEE  IS THEIR VISION ALL OR PARTLY LOST?

• Ask the person about their vision. Do they normally wear glasses or contact lenses, or do they normally not use either of these? Ask the person to try to describe any changes in their vision.
• Is their vision clear?
• Is it blurry?
• Can they see everything in their field of vision? Does the person see everything or just part of the visual field?
• Does the person see double?

FEEL  IS THEIR HEADACHE SEVERE?

• Do they have a headache? On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the worst, ask them to rate their headache.
• Do they normally have headaches? If so, is this headache any different from their usual headache?
• Does this feel like the worst headache of their life?
• Does light bother or hurt their eyes?
• Does a sound or loud noise make the headache worse?

When you see ANY of these signs (even just one) in someone – call the Emergency Medical Services immediately!  Advanced Life Support – Paramedic Ambulances can begin to treat the symptoms. Not every medical facility is capable of providing the same Stroke Care, your Paramedics will help you access the most appropriate advanced hospital care. Even if the signs seem to go away, you still need immediate medical attention, these “mini-strokes” can be a precursor to a larger, fatal event!

Also VERY IMPORTANT - note what time you first notice the symptoms begin! This is the time that all treatments must be based on. The clot bust medications have a limited time window that they can be administered. 

Strokes are not a disease for just the elderly - Young Adults, Children and infants can have strokes. Because of the misunderstanding the strokes only occur in the elderly significant time delays can occur before people seek medical attention for younger patients, as much as 72 hours in some cases. By that time significant, irreversible damage has occurred. If you see ANY STROKE WARNING SIGNS in ANY PERSON call the Emergency Medical Services immediately - do not delay!

Stroke is No Joke! When you see any of the stroke warning signs call 911 immediately!