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Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Recognizing Signs and Symptoms of Stroke is Key to Treatment

According to a study presented at the American Stroke Associations International Stroke Conference 2009, patients who arrive to hospitals within the "golden hour" (within on hour of symptom onset) were twice as likely to receive the clot-busting drug known as tissue plasminogen activator (tPA).

The study, known as the American Heart Associations Get with the Guidelines-Stroke (GWTG-Stroke) quality improvement program, involved over 100,000 patients treated at various hospitals. Of those people who arrived within the "golden hour," 27.1% received tPA. Whereas, 12.9% of those individuals who arrived at hospitals one to three hours after the onset of symptoms recieved tPA. The drug is approved to be used only within three hours of symptom onset. The study found:

  • 28.3 percent of the patients arrived within 60 minutes
  • 31.7 percent arrived one to three hours after symptoms started
  • 40.1 percent arrived more than three hours after symptoms started

This data demonstrates the importance of recognizing the early signs. Early symptoms of a stroke include:
  • Sudden weakness of numbness on the face, arm, or leg on one side
  • Sudden onset of a severed headache
  • Sudden trouble with speaking
  • Sudden onset of blurry vision or loss of vision in one eye
  • Sudden onset of imbalance or unsteadiness on your feet
Another system that can be used to assess somebody having a stroke is called the F.A.S.T assessment:
  • Face - Does the face seem uneven?
  • Arms - Does one arm drift down?
  • Speech - Does their speech sound strange?
  • Time - Don't Wast It - Call 911
Everyone should be able to recognize the early symptoms of a stroke on themselves as well as on others. If you suspect a possible stroke, call 911 and get to the nearest hospital as soon as possible.

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