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| www.strokecamp.org |
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| http://www.unitedstrokealliance.org/ |
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| Show Me The Booster Box |
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Do you know how to recognize a stroke?
Do you know what you need to do when you recognize one?
Below are the guide lines.
Memorize them or print them out and keep in your purse or wallet because you never know when you might be the one to save a person's life, or even your own.
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80% of strokes could be avoided.
Every 4 minutes someone dies from a stroke.
There are life saving methods to minimize the effects of stroke - IF YOU GET TREATMENT IN TIME.
Up until now we have been urging you to remember the acronym F.A.S.T.
Face: Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
Arms: Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
Speech: Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is their speech slurred or strange?
Time: If you observe any of these signs call 9-1-1 immediately.
This simple test is still valid, however, we have been finding out that, while people are getting better recognizing the F.A.S. part, there is a reluctance to take the T. part seriously.
Here is a better guideline we want to promote:
BE-FASTER
B - Balance: Sudden loss of balance.
E - Eyes: Sudden blurry or loss of vision.
F - Face: Sudden numbness, one side drooping - can they smile.
A - Arms: Sudden weakness in arms - can you raise both?
S - Speech: Slurred or mumbling speech.
T - Time: Call 911 NOW
E - Emergency
R - Room: Get to the ER by ambulance, they know what to do FASTER.
Helping survivors at our stroke camps I found that some of them, sufferers themselves or their caregivers, have driven their own cars to the ER because it seemed faster than waiting for an ambulance to arrive. This is not a good idea because many things can happen on the way such as long stop lights, mechanical breakdown, accident, flat tire, or a traffic jam which could mean life or death or serious debilitation to the sufferer.
It is estimated that in each minute of a ischemic stroke, 1.9 million neurons, 14 billion synapses, and 12 km of myelinated fibers are destroyed.
You may think you can get there faster than waiting for an ambulance but the truth is the sufferer will be getting diagnosis and treatment on the way to the ER in the ambulance, and the ER will be getting the stroke team ready and waiting at the door, with a good diagnosis and proper tests in mind. Some ambulances in some cities are even able to administer the clot busting drug TPA on the way to the ER. My hope is that all cities will have this capability, and soon.
Time is extremely important when
treating stroke.
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