By Sarah Song, MD, MPH
I recently saw a young man who had suffered a stroke. His wife, who is in the medical field, recognized his symptoms of weakness and numbness as being a possible stroke, and she called 911.
As a result, he got to the hospital quickly and was treated with an intravenous clot-busting drug called tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, which is the only urgent medication for stroke approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. When I saw him after his discharge, he was in great health with no residual effects. He spoke of playing with his young son and how blessed he felt to have recovered completely.
Know the signs
It was handy that my patient was married to someone who knew the signs of stroke. But everyone, not just medical professionals, can recognize most strokes by following the FAST acronym. In fact, a study showed that the FAST acronym can identify up to 89 percent of all strokes — all we have to do is learn it.
Knowing what FAST stands for — Face drooping (usually on one side), Arm weakness (the arm may drift down or feel numb), Speech difficulty (slurred speech or trouble getting words out or understanding others), and Time to call 911 — can make the difference in stroke recovery and survival.