Stroke…as simple as STR

You spend 3 hours in traffic everyday…this is how long a patient with an acute stroke has to get to an appropriate facility that could save them from a lifetime of disability.

Someone you know or you will probably have a stroke in your lifetime, early diagnosis and immediate referral could make all the difference.

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster.
The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

A bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions :

S * Ask the individual to SMILE ..

T * = TALK. Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (eg ‘It is sunny out today’).
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS .

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, CALL AN AMBULANCE and get the patient to a STROKE APPROPRIATE FACILITY.

NOTE : Another ‘sign’ of a stroke is

  1. Ask the person to ‘stick’ out their tongue.
  2. If the tongue is ‘crooked’, if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke.

Remember these ‘3’ steps, STR . Read, Learn and Teach someone!

Emergency Medicine Kenya Foundation

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