Stroke is the No. 3 killer in the United States, but acting quickly could change that fact. Stroke is also a leading cause of serious long-term disability.
What is a stroke? It is when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a blood clot or the vessel bursts causing a bleed in the brain. When the oxygen is depleted the brain starts to die.
Chief of Emergency Medicine at Summit Medical Center in Van Buren, Ark., Joni Carmack, M.D., promotes a simple acronym – F.A.S.T. – to help recognize the symptoms of stroke.
Act 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 sentence.
– Are the words slurred? Can he/she repeat the sentence correctly?
TIME
– If the person shows any of these symptoms, time is important.
– Call 911 or get to the hospital fast. Brain cells are dying.
“It is also extremely important to make a note of the last known well time of the patient,” said Dr. Carmack.
This information is important to your healthcare provider and can affect treatment decisions.
“A special clot busting medication can be given in the Emergency Room but it is most effective within a three hour window,” added Dr. Carmack.
Many smaller hospitals are also now able to utilize the life saving medication because of Telemedicine. The Telemedicine Program allows a specially trained neurologist to evaluate and assess the patient and consult with the ER physician about administering the drug. One way telemedicine is becoming more available is through collaborative efforts within communities. The Arkansas-Oklahoma Hospital Consortium was developed to help bridge hospitals together. The hospitals, including Sparks Health System, Sequoyah County Memorial Hospital, Summit Medical Center and many others throughout Western Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma, meet on a regular basis to discuss the benefits of working together and pooling resources. The telemedicine program is part of those resources. The goal of telemedicine is to use high-tech, video communications system to help provide immediate, life-saving treatments to stroke victims 24 hours a day.
As hospitals work together to better treat patients with a stroke, there are factors you can work on to help keep yourself from having to be treated for the life-threatening condition in the first place. According to the American Heart Association, high blood pressure and cigarette smoking are contributing risk factors for a stroke. Effective treatment of high blood pressure will decline your risk for a stroke. Also, diabetes is an independent risk factor for stroke. High blood cholesterol and a poor diet also increases your risk of a stroke, according the American Heart Association.
To find out more about the signs of stroke or about telemedicine, visit www.ozarksfn.com.
Stacy Caldarera is the Public Relations and Marketing Director with Summit Medical Center in Van Buren, Ark.
