Stroke

Fast Treatment Can Prevent Dangerous and Deadly Complications

Someone has a stroke every 40 seconds, according to the CDC. Fast treatment is necessary to prevent further damage. Additionally, immediate treatment can prevent some long-term complications. Find out how to tell you’re having a stroke and call 911 or visit the emergency room immediately if you experience any symptoms.

How Do I Know If I’m Having a Stroke?

Stroke symptoms appear quickly and require fast action. Common signs of a stroke include:

• Weakness or numbness in the leg, arm, or face (generally on one side of the body)
• Confusion
• Trouble Speaking
• Difficulty Understanding Others
• Dizziness
• Loss of Balance
• Severe Headache

If you believe that a loved one is suffering a stroke, use the FAST method. This stands for:

• Face
  • Ask the person to smile. If you notice one side of the face drooping, that’s a symptom of a stroke.
• Arms
  • If you ask the person to raise their arms and they can’t raise one, they’ve likely suffered a stroke.
• Speech
  • Ask the person to repeat a phrase. If the speech is slurred or doesn’t appear normal, the person is experiencing a medical emergency.
• Time
  • Act in a timely manner by getting medical help immediately.

If you’re unsure if someone has had a seizure or a stroke, you should call 9-1-1 for emergency medical treatment. Paramedics can provide life-saving treatment en route to the ER.

Stroke Diagnosis

When you go to the emergency room, the staff will work quickly to diagnose the stroke. First, the doctors and nurses will quickly take a medical history and perform physical and neurological examinations.

Additionally, the staff will run blood tests and conduct a CT or MRI scan. Finally, they might run other diagnostic tests to check blood flow and electrical impulses in the brain.

Heat Stroke Treatment

If you get overheated, your body’s temperature-regulating mechanism can go haywire and lose the ability to cool you down. When this happens, you’ll suffer a heat stroke. This can cause organ damage and is sometimes fatal, so fast treatment is needed.

The emergency room staff will work quickly to lower your body temperature. This might include immersing you in cold water, covering you with cooling blankets, and administering medication to prevent shivering. The staff also might use evaporation cooling treatments to lower your temperature.

Mini Stroke Treatment

If you have a transient ischemic attack (TIA), or ministroke, you’ll experience a temporary blockage that prevents blood from flowing to the brain. Ministrokes don’t cause long-term issues, but treatment is needed to prevent another stroke. Your physician will likely prescribe medication and recommend lifestyle changes to prevent another occurrence. Also, you might need to undergo a medical procedure.

Hemorrhagic Stroke Treatment

Approximately 13% of strokes are hemorrhagic. This occurs when a blood vessel ruptures, sending blood into the brain.

Fast hemorrhagic stroke treatment will improve your long-term prognosis. First, the physician must use an MRI or CT scan to determine if the stroke is intracerebral or subarachnoid. Then, the physician can use surgical intervention and medication. The treatment might include endovascular coiling, stent-assisted coiling, embolization, or open surgery.

Ischemic Stroke Treatment

If you suffer an ischemic stroke, the blood flow to your brain will be blocked. This is the most common of all strokes, making up 87%, according to the CDC.

Medication and mechanical treatments are available to remove the clot. If you get to the emergency room in time, you can receive Alteplase medication through an IV. The medication will dissolve the blood clot, allowing oxygen-rich blood to flow to the brain.

You can also undergo a mechanical thrombectomy to remove the clot. With this procedure, a stent will retrieve the clot.

Don’t delay if you or someone you love is having a stroke. If you recognize any of the symptoms of a stroke, call 911 or visit the emergency room. With quick action, you can prevent many of the long-term effects of a stroke.