RICHLAND, Wash. – According to the Centers for Disease Control, every year, more than 795 thousand people in the U.S. have a stroke. The quicker someone receives care, the more likely the effects of the stroke will be limited or even reversible.
Dr. Dale Wilson, a Cardiovascular Surgeon at Kadlec Regional Medical Center, says there are two types of strokes: ischemic, which happens when a blood vessel is blocked, and hemorrhagic, which happens when a blood vessel pops and starts to bleed. Ischemic strokes are caused by high blood pressure, diabetes, or genetics, while hemorrhagic strokes are the result of aneurysms.
Dr. Wilson said to remember the acronym F-A-S-T, or fast when it comes to signs to look out for.
“Facial Numbness, Facial Drooping,” said Dr. Wilson. “Then your arm, arm weakness, arm numbness. Speech. Speech difficulty, slurring your words. Unable to form words that you normally would be able to. Finally, time. Time is of the essence.”
Dr. Wilson said the sooner you can seek medical attention, the better off you are. Ideally, you would actually need to be at the hospital within 45 minutes of showing symptoms. He says generally, you’d need to be treated within three hours. Dr. Wilson recommends people over 65 years old with risk factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and a history of heart attacks be checked regularly.
Strokes leave lasting impacts on the brain, and while some stroke survivors recover quickly, most need long-term rehabilitation. Dr. Wilson said a stroke is the 5th leading cause of death in the U.S., but it is the number one cause of disability.
Dr. Wilson says new technology is making recovery more achievable for patients.
“A lot of things can be done in a minimally invasive way or endovascular way,” said Dr. Wilson. “What that involves is oftentimes puncturing an artery instead of making a big incision and working on the inside of the blood vessels. To use different devices to actually go directly to that clot and almost, in a way, suck the clot out.”
Dr. Wilson says it’s really important to understand how devastating strokes can be. The recovery process is long, but he’s seen people come back from them.
Managing risk factors such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol and getting regular checkups will reduce the chance of having a stroke.
