Be stroke smart: Know the signs and risk factors to prevent an ER visit

Each year, more than 800 patients arrive with signs and symptoms of a stroke in the emergency department at Meritus Medical Center.

Stroke patients require rapid assessment, immediate intervention and careful management involving coordination across an expert team of physicians, nurses, laboratory professionals, radiology technicians and rehabilitation therapists.

“When a stroke occurs, part or all of the brain is deprived of oxygen and brain cells begin to die within minutes,” said Jennifer Smith, BSN, RN, a stroke care specialist at Meritus. "Because ‘time is brain,’ individuals experiencing stroke symptoms need immediate medical attention." 

Stroke is the fifth-leading cause of death and the leading cause of serious long-term disability in the United States. Each year, more than 400 patients are diagnosed at Meritus Medical Center with an ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke or transient ischemic attack, also known as TIA or mini-stroke.

Meritus Medical Center is certified as a primary stroke center by the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems since 2007.

“The designation means that the hospital meets quality stroke care criteria and that EMS providers bring potential stroke patients who are within a 30-minute drive to Meritus Medical Center rather than taking them to a closer, non-certified health care provider,” Smith said.

Working alongside Meritus’s emergency providers and vascular neurologists from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the medical center east of Hagerstown is able to help diagnose and manage stroke patients using live audio/visual telecommunication services. Through this telemedicine partnership, a vascular neurologist is available 24/7 to patients receiving care at Meritus.

Educating yourself and others to BE FAST, an acronym that can help you identify some of the signs of stroke and prepare you to act with urgency. Checking the following could indicate a stroke:

Balance. Loss of balance, Dizziness. Unstable with less coordination, stumbling, unable to walk straight. Feeling faint, lightheaded or like the room is spinning.

Eyes. Vision changes. Blurred vision or trouble with eyesight in one or both eyes.

Face. Facial drooping, Severe headache. One side of the face is drooping or looks uneven when you smile. Pain or discomfort in the head, scalp or neck with no known cause.

Arms. Weakness, numbness. Lack of strength in the arm or leg, especially on one side of the body. A tingling feeling in the body (face, arm or leg) like pins and needles.

Speech. Trouble speaking, confusion. Unable to speak or slurred speech, unable to understand what is happening, can’t think clearly or feel thrown off.

Time. Call 911 at the first sign of any of the above signs and symptoms. Make note of the last time your loved one was normal and let EMS personal aware of this time, as time is brain.

Some stroke risk factors are manageable, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, overweight/obesity, sedentary lifestyle, diabetes, smoking/nicotine use, alcohol abuse or illicit drug use, atrial fibrillation, oral contraceptive use combined with smoking.

Stroke risk factors that cannot be changed include:

• Age - Stroke can occur at any age; 1 out 5 people who have a stroke are younger than age 55
• Race - African Americans, Hispanics, and Asian/Pacific Islanders have a higher risk of stroke than people of other races
• Gender - More women have a stroke than men
• Family history - You are at greater risk if a family member has had a stroke

Be stroke smart and remember even if symptoms seem to go away, health care providers warn that you should call 911 and come to the hospital immediately at the first sign.

BE FAST was developed by Intermountain Healthcare as an adaptation of the FAST model implemented by the American Stroke Association.