Other life-threatening conditions

Stroke

An urgent condition caused by a sudden disruption of the blood perfusion of the brain, which may lead to irreversible brain tissue damage.

a sudden change in the patient’s condition
the risk factors of a stroke include high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, obesity, etc.
a stroke does not affect only older patients; it may happen to a young person, too
the two types of a stroke:
- ischemic - caused by a clot in a blood vessel that blocks the flow of blood to the brain (80 % of cases)
- hemorrhagic - caused by bleeding from a ruptured blood vessel in the brain (20 % of cases)

the stroke can show any of the symptoms stated above; it is enough if only one of them is present

use SSS ABC approach
if you suspect a stroke, use the FAST acronym:
- F (face) - focus on the patient’s face, ask him to smile - Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Is the person's smile uneven or lopsided?
- A (arms) - raise the patient’s arms in front of him, ask him to close their eyes - Is one arm weak or numb? Does one arm drift downward after closing the eyes?
- S (speech) - ask the patient simple questions, e.g. what his name is - Do he answer adequately? Can you understand what he is saying? Is the person unable to speak?
- T (time) - if the person shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call EMS immediately
communicate with the patient, try to calm him down
observe the patient and check him regularly until the EMS arrives
if the patient is unresponsive, open the airway and check the breathing
- YES, the patient is breathing normally - check the patient regularly; if he stops breathing, start providing CPR
- NO, the patient is not breathing normally - start providing CPR
report any change in the patient’s condition to the EMS

disorder of the consciousness - place the patient in a safe position (sit them down, if possible, or lay them on the ground) and check them regularly
the patient loses consciousness, becomes unresponsive, after opening the airway is/is not breathing normally - see above

	an 80-year-old woman; gradually increasing speech difficulties, especially with pronunciation; however, the nurse from the nursing home claims this has been going on for several months now, along with the limited movement of the limbs
	a 50-year-old man; responsive, sitting in a vehicle that suddenly drove off the road into the ditch at a low speed; when asked, his answers do not make any sense, one corner of his mouth droops down
	a 25-year-old woman; a sudden loss of vision in a part of her vision field and a weakness of her upper limb - she is trying to grab her mobile phone from the table, but it keeps falling from her grasp

The stroke may show various signs and symptoms, typically an asymmetry of the face (e.g. a droopy mouth corner), limb weakness and problems with speech or understanding, as the FAST acronym reminds us.
If you suspect a stroke, call EMS as soon as possible.