Stroke is the third leading cause of death. Prompt recognition of stroke by lay persons and EMS professionals is critical for stroke patients to receive timely hospital stroke assessment and intervention. There are several acronyms to remember the indicators to assess if a patient is having a stroke. Each acronym is a similar assessment of […]
Stroke symptoms – facial droop, one-sided weakness, inability to speak – are fairly easy to recognize with prehospital stroke assessment tools. More and more EMS providers are going to be asked by patient’s family members or caregivers or directed by protocols to transport stroke patients to a designated stroke center. What does it mean for […]
The National Stroke Awareness Month promotes the F.A.S.T. Stroke assessment for lay persons to determine if stroke signs are present. F = FACE Ask person to smile. Look for one-sided facial droop. A = ARMS Ask person to raise their arms. Look to see if one arm drifts downward. S = SPEECH Ask person to […]