Recognizing stroke symptoms and contacting emergency services as soon as possible is critical to improving the outcome of acute stroke patients.
According to the latest research, there are two subtle but important warning symptoms of a stroke that are commonly disregarded. If you wait too long to get help, it can be very bad for you.
The study’s lead author René Handschu explains, “Many patients wait to see if symptoms improve or disappear.”
“From the patient’s point of view, numbness of one limb or even dizziness and nausea is not so bad that you will bother all your neighbors by calling an ambulance with lights and sirens.”
However, in stroke treatment, timing is critical. Some treatments, such as thrombolysis (clot bursting), can only be given within specific time frames.
Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is the sole FDA-approved medicine for treating the most prevalent type of stroke in the United States.
This clot buster can help reduce disability, but it must be administered within three hours of the onset of stroke symptoms.
The author adds: “Immediately recognizing stroke symptoms and calling for emergency services is a crucial factor in improving outcome for acute stroke patients.”
In this study, the team looked at all patients admitted to the hospital’s stroke unit via the city’s EMS system over the course of a year. They looked at 141 EMS calls. The average age of the patients was 65.4.
Speech issues were recorded in 25.5 percent of cases, limb weakness in 21.9 percent, and a change in consciousness in 14.8 percent. A fall was the cause of the call in 21.2 percent of cases. Subtle symptoms were only noted a few times. Facial weakness, numbness, and dizziness were noted in 9.9 percent, 7.8 percent, and 5.6 percent of patients, respectively.
Only 19.8 percent of callers said a stroke or a transient ischemic attack (TIA) could be the cause of their health concern. In 51.7 percent of all calls, dispatchers suspected a stroke. In 79.3 percent of cases, they dispatched a high-priority ambulance.
“The infrequent use of the phrase ‘stroke’ in calls to dispatchers is a hint for insufficient knowledge about stroke symptoms in the population of our study area,” he says.
In this study, the average time from beginning of symptoms to EMS call was 38 minutes.
“We can work on further reduction of in-hospital delays of treatment but we reach limits. The most important factor in reducing delay is the patient himself.”
The main symptoms of stroke can be remembered with the English acronym FAST (face, arms, speech, time):
Face: The face may have fallen to one side, the person may not be able to smile, or their mouth or eyes may have fallen out.
Arms: The person may not be able to lift both arms and keep them there due to weakness or numbness in one arm.
Speech: speech may be slurred or slurred, or the person may not be able to speak at all despite appearing to be awake; They may also have trouble understanding what you’re saying.
Time: It’s time to dial 911 right away if you notice any of these signs or symptoms.
A stroke can also cause complete paralysis on one side of the body. As well as a sudden loss or blurred vision, confusion, difficulty understanding what others are saying, and coordination problems.
Other signs may include:
- Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia)
- A sudden and very intense headache resulting in blinding pain like never before experienced.
- Loss of consciousness.
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