what to say when someone has a stroke

When a person is having a stroke, every 2nd counts. And what yous do in those critical moments can potentially help save someone'southward life.

Kelley A. Humbert, MD, Banana Professor of Clinical Neurology at Penn Medicine, spells out of import do's and don'ts, so you lot tin be set up to give your loved one the best hazard of surviving a stroke.

A stroke is often described every bit a "encephalon attack." Function of the brain is robbed of the oxygen and blood supply it needs to function, because a blood vessel to part of the encephalon either has a clot or blockage, or bursts.

The longer a stroke goes untreated, the more brain cells dice. Just in that location are treatments that can exist given if a person reaches the hospital in time.

Three Things to Do When Someone Is Having a Stroke

ane. Phone call 911 immediately

If y'all do nothing else, deed rapidly to telephone call 911.

"The hardest thing you have to do is recognize symptoms of a stroke," Dr. Humbert explains. "If you do find any symptoms, you should call 911 immediately. You should likewise immediately tell the 911 dispatcher, 'I think I'm having a stroke' or 'I think my loved one is.'"

Not sure what the symptoms of a stroke are? Give someone yous think is having a stroke this FAST test from the National Stroke Association.

two. Note the fourth dimension you showtime meet symptoms

A clot-busting medication called tPA, or tissue plasminogen activator, tin be given to someone if they're having a stroke, potentially reversing or stopping symptoms from developing. But it has to exist given inside iv.v hours of the start of symptoms, Dr. Humbert says.

Patients may also be candidates for more advanced therapies, such every bit endovascular treatments, at Penn Medicine. Endovascular treatments can involve surgically removing a clot that caused a stroke, or fixing an aneurysm — which is a swollen blood vessel that bursts and causes bleeding and pressure level build-up in the brain. Endovascular treatments for ischemic stroke, which are strokes related to claret clots or blockages and are the virtually common type of stroke, must exist administered within 24 hours of symptom onset, and earlier handling improves outcomes so time is critically important.

"If a witness sees someone develop symptoms of a stroke, the commencement footstep is e'er to call 911. But closely later this, information technology would be helpful if they look at what fourth dimension the symptoms started; or if the person was found already with stroke symptoms, information technology is helpful to endeavour to figure out the last time you or someone else saw that person without any symptoms and equally their normal self," she says. "That way, the emergency staff can make a more informed decision nigh treatment options and ensure these are equally safe every bit possible."

3. Perform CPR, if necessary

Nigh stroke patients don't require CPR, Dr. Humbert notes. Just if your friend or spouse is unconscious when you find them, check their pulse and breathing. If yous find none, telephone call 911 and start CPR while you're waiting for the ambulance to arrive.

You can also ask the 911 dispatcher to walk you through how to perform CPR if you don't know or are uncertain, which consists of repeated, steady chest compressions, according to the American Heart Clan.

3 Things Non to Practice When Someone Is Having a Stroke

1. Practise not let that person go to sleep or talk you out of calling 911

Stroke survivors ofttimes complain of suddenly feeling very sleepy when a stroke first happens.

"A lot of patients come in and say they went to slumber for a few hours before they came to the hospital because they were tired," Dr. Humbert notes.

But time is of the essence. "The medication and any surgical treatments we can requite a stroke survivor are incredibly time-sensitive," she adds. "They should non get to sleep, and they should not call their primary intendance physician first. Instead, they should merely go immediately to the emergency room."

And no matter how much someone might attempt to talk you out of taking them to the hospital, don't let them, says Dr. Humbert.

2. Practice not give them medication, food, or drinks

There are two kinds of strokes:

Hemorrhagic stroke, caused past a ruptured claret vessel leading to brain bleeds
Ischemic stroke, caused by a clot leading to blockage in a claret vessel

"80 percent of strokes are ischemic ones, but if you're in that twenty percentage and your stroke was caused past a ruptured blood vessel in the caput, y'all don't desire to have aspirin," Dr. Humbert says. "And y'all can't tell which 1 it is until you become to the emergency room and yous get a Cat browse." Aspirin actually might hurt your loved ane more, and cause more haemorrhage if in fact they are having a hemorrhagic stroke, because aspirin is a blood thinner.

To exist safe, don't give someone who has stroke symptoms whatever medication.

Y'all also shouldn't give them food or drinks earlier the ambulance comes. "Sometimes, a stroke affects their ability to swallow," Dr. Humbert says. This could ultimately crusade more harm to the person if they choke and develop infections or problem animate.

3. Practice not bulldoze yourself or someone else to the emergency room

It might seem like a good idea to drive a stroke victim to the nearest emergency room. But Dr. Humbert says, "If someone is severely afflicted by a stroke, then yous're amend off calling 911."

Emergency responders tin can showtime life-saving handling for that person on the way to the emergency room, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says. Additionally, emergency responders will ensure the person is taken to a hospital that has the medications and treatments available to treat stroke patients immediately if that is what is going on, every bit not all hospitals are equipped to handle stroke patients.

You also don't desire to drive yourself to a hospital in the consequence that your stroke symptoms worsen and impair your ability to drive safely.

Stay Focused and Take Action Quickly

As frightening equally it tin be to witness someone having a stroke, taking a few key steps — and avoiding others — can potentially help your loved one accept the best possible issue. "Nosotros have a procedure in place to care for someone who is having a stroke critically once they get here," Dr. Humbert notes. "Merely they really need to get hither every bit speedily as they can."

The Symptoms That Could Mean Yous're Having a Stroke

The symptoms of a stroke can vary from patient to patient. Just they tend to have i thing in common: They take people by surprise, says Dr. Humbert.

"Stroke symptoms come on very suddenly," she says. "People are fine ane moment so suddenly take symptoms, such as weakness, numbness, trouble talking, or loss of vision. They might wonder where it came from."

What'southward happening? A stroke occurs when the claret's period to the brain is impaired, either because claret flow is blocked (ischemic stroke), or a blood vessel in the brain ruptures leading to leakage and bleeding (hemorrhagic stroke).

Without normal blood menstruation, brain cells start to dice, and the functions controlled past that expanse of the brain — such as speech communication or muscle movement or vision — are impaired or lost, the National Stroke Association says.

The effects tin can cause permanent encephalon damage and disability, depending on how severe the stroke was and how quickly the patient is able to become assistance.

What Does a Stroke Feel Like?

Strokes can deport a number of sudden, telltale symptoms, Dr. Humbert says. These include:

A droop on one side of the face
Difficulty lifting one arm to its full tiptop or using ane manus
Difficulty moving one leg, or dragging a leg while trying to walk
Slurred voice communication or difficulty with talking
Dumb vision in one or both optics
Vertigo or dizziness
Difficulty walking or sudden imbalance

The American Heart Clan/American Stroke Association notes that a sudden severe headache that does not appear to be triggered past annihilation is another potential sign that you might exist having a stroke. Quite ofttimes, though, strokes are painless, which tin surprise people, Dr. Humbert says.

"Although some strokes are associated with a headache, many occur without whatever accompanying pain," she says. "This doesn't mean you're non having a stroke. If you're having symptoms of a stroke, you demand to become medical intendance immediately."

Aphasia, Stroke

Even If Symptoms Vanish Quickly, Call for Help

You should as well be aware that warning signs might concluding only for a few minutes earlier they disappear. These cursory episodes are transient ischemic attacks (TIA), sometimes called "mini-strokes." They still should be taken seriously, because they tend to be signs of underlying serious conditions that can lead to a total stroke, even possibly in the few days following a TIA event if non evaluated and treated for a TIA.

"It'due south non uncommon for people who accept had a TIA to ignore it considering the symptoms went away and they don't know what information technology was," Dr. Humbert says. "Simply people who have TIA symptoms are definitely at higher risk of having a subsequent stroke, and they need to be evaluated urgently."

Telephone call 911 Immediately

One time you recognize that y'all or someone you lot witness is having a stroke, the side by side stride is calling 911 speedily, Dr. Humbert stresses.

Fourth dimension is disquisitional if someone is having a stroke. The longer a stroke goes untreated, the more damage can be done — possibly permanently — to the brain.

"If you suspect you or someone you're with is having a stroke, don't hesitate to phone call 911," Dr. Humbert says. "It could save a life."

The Penn Stroke Centre is a Joint Commission-certified Comprehensive Stroke Middle. Patients who have suffered a stroke have access to the most advanced resource bachelor for the handling of stroke 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a yr.

Acquire More About the Penn Stroke Center

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Source: https://www.pennmedicine.org/updates/blogs/neuroscience-blog/2022/march/what-to-do-if-someone-is-having-a-stroke