Today we are celebrating World Stroke Day, an opportunity to raise awareness of the serious nature and high rates of strokes and talk about ways in which we can reduce the burden of stroke through better public awareness of the risk factors and signs.
The day is celebrated on the 29 October every year and began in 2006 by the World Stroke Association which represents over 55,000 stroke specialists in clinical, research and community settings.
This year the World Stroke Association has launched their #PreciousTime campaign which aims to raise awareness about stroke symptoms and the benefits of acting F.A.S.T in the aftermath of a stroke. If you act quickly, not only a life can be saved but also their independence, quality of life and precious memories.
To help understand the importance of getting behind their new campaign, we spoke to Catherine Curley, a Nurse Consultant in Stroke Medicine at ELHT, about the importance of acting F.A.S.T once a stroke is suspected.
“Hi, I’m Cath and I’m one of the Nurse Consultants in Stroke Medicine here at ELHT. Alongside my colleague, Sheeba Philip, we ensure that any patients who are brought to our doors with a suspected stroke are met by one of us immediately, where we offer clot busting treatment for suitable patients as well as assessing for thrombectomy. The sooner we can treat a patient, the more of their brain we can save.
When somebody has a stroke, every second that goes by is crucial. As brain tissue and millions of neurons begin to fade away, time could not be more precious. This is why it’s really important to get behind the World Stroke Association’s new campaign, #PreciousTime.
So, what do you need to look out for?
It’s important that we remember the anacronym F.A.S.T when thinking of a stroke:
F – Facial drooping. Ask the person to smile – is one side of their face drooping?
A – Arms. Ask the person to raise their arms - is one arm weak?
S – Speech. Ask the person to speak – is their speech slurred?
T – Time. You must call 999 right away at the first signs of stroke
It’s really important to remember that the sooner a person receives treatment for a stroke, the less damage is likely to happen.”
