Medics encourage FAST response to signs of stroke
KENNEWICK, Wash.-- May is Stroke Awareness Month, and local first responders are getting out the word that everyone needs to keep an eye on family members to watch for signs that include facial drooping, paralysis of an arm or leg, and slurred speech.
"We tend to think about the arm, that's usually the first thing people notice is that one of the arms doesn't work well," said Cpt. Eric Nilson with the Kennewick Fire Department. "But it call also happen in the lower extremities, in a leg that doesn't want to lift and work well, either."
If you've had a heart attack, you have an increased risk of experiencing a stroke. A heart attack is caused by plaque buildup that blocks blood vessels to the heart, which is similar to the plaque buildup that causes blockages in the brain.
A person who has had a previous stroke also has a higher risk of having another stroke than a person who has never had one.
Nilson says getting medical treatment as quickly as possible is a critical element when it comes to reducing the amount of damage done to brain tissue, so it's important to call 911 rather than driving yourself or having someone drive you to the hospital when you experience a stroke.
"We can send a stroke alert ahead to the hospital, and we almost always bypass the emergency room and take the patient straight into CT so that a non-contrast CT can be done of the head and determine what kind of stroke is going on," Nilson said.
- Face Drooping: Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile. Is the person's smile uneven or lopsided?
- Arm Weakness: Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
- Speech: Is speech slurred? Is the person unable to speak or hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence.
- Time to Call 9-1-1: If the person shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 9-1-1 and get them to the hospital immediately.
About 775,000 people in the United States experience a stroke each year, more than 17% of those are fatal according to StrokeCenter.dot.org.
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