Stroke Symptoms
A stroke is a life-threatening medical emergency.
Act FAST at these common signs of a stroke:
| FACE | Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop? |
| ARMS | Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward? |
| SPEECH | Speech or language difficulty. Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence. Are the words slurred? Is the person confused? Can he/she repeat the sentence correctly? |
| TIME | CALL 9-1-1 if the patient suddenly shows any of these symptoms or they are accompanied by loss of vision or double vision, loss of balance with dizziness, or “the worst headache of his/her life.” Other symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, clumsiness. There may be a sudden loss of strength or sensation in the face, arm or leg, or a combination of the three. |
| F.A.S.T. is a pre-hospital stroke screening tool | |
When stroke occurs, caused by the rupture or obstruction (a clot) of a blood vessel of the brain, the blood supply to a part of the brain is interrupted or severely reduced, depriving brain tissue of oxygen and nutrients. Brain cells begin to die within a few minutes.
The FDA approved medication, tPA (tissue plasminogen activator), can dramatically increase the chance of recovery after stroke, but must be administered within 3 hours of symptoms’ onset.
So if you think you're having a stroke, or you are experiencing stroke symptoms call 9-1-1 and get qualified help.
The Emergency Room at West Hills Hospital & Medical Center is located at 7300 Medical Center Drive. The stroke care provided to patients is based upon scientific evidence and nationally accepted guidelines.
The multidisciplinary stroke team of doctors and nurses at West Hills Hospital & Medical Center is equipped to acutely treat stroke patients, and to identify stroke symptoms as quickly as possible. Our Emergency Department has implemented an Acute Stroke Protocol to ensure the rapid evaluation and treatment of patients who are potential candidates for this stroke treatment.
To find a doctor specializing in stroke care and treatment,
or to talk to a nurse about stroke symptoms,
Call our 24-hr Consult-A-Nurse® toll free line at
1-818-676-4321
Learn More About Stroke from These Resources:
| Read more about stroke West Hills Hospital Map West Hills Phone Directory West Hills Hospital & Medical Center 7300 Medical Center Drive West Hills, CA 91307 Telephone: (818) 676-4000 |
Every 45 seconds, someone in America has a stroke, the third leading cause of death in the U.S. Someone dies from a stroke every 5.1 minutes. Strokes, often called "brain attacks," are the nation's third (3rd) cause of death and leading cause of long-term disability. Yearly, 750,000 Americans experience stroke and about 160,000 die from it. 500,000 strokes are first attacks and 200,000 are recurrent. |
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