Stroke: Act F.A.S.T. — Why Every Minute Counts

A stroke happens when the blood supply to part of the brain is suddenly interrupted — by a clot blocking a blood vessel, or by a vessel bursting and bleeding into the brain. Brain cells begin to die within minutes of losing blood flow. That is why a stroke is often called a 'brain attack', and why the response in the first hour shapes whether a person recovers their speech and movement or lives with permanent disability.

Use the F.A.S.T. checklist whenever a stroke is suspected. F — Face: ask the person to smile; does one side of the face droop? A — Arms: ask them to raise both arms; does one arm drift downward or feel weak? S — Speech: ask them to repeat a simple sentence; is their speech slurred, strange, or can they not speak at all? T — Time: if any one of these signs is present, call for emergency help immediately and note the exact time the symptoms started.

Additional warning signs include sudden numbness or weakness on one side of the body, sudden confusion, sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes, sudden difficulty walking, loss of balance or coordination, or a sudden severe headache with no known cause. Symptoms may be mild or fluctuate — a passing weakness or brief slurring that resolves completely (a 'mini-stroke' or TIA) is a serious warning of a larger stroke to come and still requires urgent evaluation.

Do not wait to see whether the symptoms improve, do not give the person food, water or medicines (swallowing may be impaired), and do not drive to the hospital yourself if an ambulance can reach you — paramedics can begin assessment and alert the hospital en route. Write down or remember the time symptoms began: it directly determines which treatments can be offered.

The most effective stroke treatments work within the first few hours. Clot-dissolving medication can only be given within a limited window after symptoms start, and mechanical clot removal is similarly time-dependent. Patients who arrive early are far more likely to walk out of hospital independently; the difference between arriving at one hour and arriving at five hours can be the difference between full recovery and lifelong disability.

Many stroke risk factors can be controlled: high blood pressure — the single most important one — along with diabetes, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation) and excess alcohol. Regular check-ups, taking prescribed medicines consistently, and controlling blood pressure and blood sugar dramatically reduce stroke risk at every age.

If you notice even one F.A.S.T. sign in yourself or someone else, treat it as an emergency and reach a hospital with 24x7 emergency and imaging facilities immediately — Suyog Hospital's Emergency & Critical Care team is available round the clock for stroke evaluation.

This article is general health information, not a substitute for professional medical advice. For anything urgent, call 0731-4094647 or visit our emergency department.