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April
19, 2004 -- You’re eating lunch with Aunt Sally. Suddenly,
she drops her fork and
can’t pick it up again. You ask her
what’s wrong, but she’s having trouble
talking to you. She also doesn’t
seem to understand what you say.
What should you do?
Aunt
Sally probably is having a stroke. She’s got three of the
warning signs. What you should do - right
away - is call 911.
Stroke
is the third leading cause of death among U.S. adults and the
leading cause of long-term disability.
Immediate treatment is the best way
to improve outcomes. Stroke can be
treated effectively, and patients may
be restored to normal function if
they are treated early enough.
Know the Warning Signs
Strokes
come on quickly. All of a sudden, a person can:
• Feel
numb or weak in face, arm or leg, especially on only one side
of
the body
• Have fuzzy or blurred vision
• Have a very painful headache
• Have trouble talking or understanding
others
• Feel dizzy or lose balance.
Call
911— Right Away!
If
you notice any of these
warning signs
in yourself or
someone else,
call 911. The
dispatcher can
help make
sure you or
the other person
get to an
emergency
room quickly
for possibly
lifesaving
treatment.“ Even if the
warning signs
only last for a
few minutes
and then disappear,
they
can be symptoms
of a
potentially
serious condition and mean that the
person needs immediate medical
help,” says Heather Turner, R.N.,
nurse coordinator for U.Va.’s Stroke
Unit.
U.Va.
Stroke Team in Action
At
U.Va., the Acute Stroke Team
springs into action when a stroke
patient is coming in. “When they get
a call, they literally run to the ER,” says
Turner. UVa Health System has neurology doctors who only treat
stroke patients. One of these doctors and other members
of U.Va.’s special
Stroke Team are on duty at all
times—24 hours a day. They’re
trained and ready to administer the
stroke drug tPA, perform surgery
and more. Team members include
neurologists, neurosurgeons, CT technologists, radiologists,
social workers, specialized nurses and
other professionals.
What Type of Stroke?
A
CT scan taken in the emergency room shows whether the stroke
is
hemorrhagic (caused by bleeding in
the brain) or ischemic (caused by
blockage in a vessel that supplies
blood to the brain). If it shows
bleeding, the team neurosurgeon is
brought in to determine if surgery is
needed.
Four
out of five strokes are ischemic strokes. The only emergency
treatment for these strokes is
tPA, called a ‘clot-buster drug.” However, it’s
only effective if given within three hours after the first
symptoms. “The time starts when
you get the first symptom, even if it’s
only numbness in one hand,” says
Turner. “Don’t wait to see if the
symptoms go away or get worse.
You need immediate medical attention.”
“Studies
have shown that patients
are more likely to recover if they get
emergency medical services and tPA
within three hours of the onset of
stroke,” says E. Clarke Haley Jr.,
M.D., U.Va. neurologist and Stroke
Team leader. “We are skilled in administering this drug and have a
record of good results. We treat
stroke patients every day.”
Are
You “Stroke Smart”?
To
get information on the risks of stroke and what you can do to
lessen them, log on to www.uvastroke.com and click on neurological
disorders in the adult health
library
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