Are you at risk for a stroke? Here is how you can know

Let’s first understand what a stroke is and why it happens: A stroke / stroke happens when the blood supply from the vessel to a brain is affected. The causes are similar to those of a heart attack; this is why it is also commonly called a stroke. A heart attack occurs due to a clot that blocks one of the blood vessels to the heart and, as a result, the supply of glucose and oxygen is impaired. The tissue that is supplied by the vessel is deprived of oxygen and dies. If the blood vessel to the brain is blocked, the part of the brain that is deprived of oxygen and glucose dies. The loss of function will depend on the blocked vessel and what is controlled by that part of the brain. This manifests as a stroke.

The cause of the problems and risk factors is very similar since it is related to the blood vessel. The risk factors are uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension, smoking, poor diet, high cholesterol, lack of exercise. While there is no correlation between the two, the triggers are similar.

How to detect a stroke?

The most important factor is early detection and early diagnosis. If someone suddenly has chest pain, shortness of breath, everyone knows it’s a heart attack and we rush to the emergency room. Likewise, to detect a stroke, we follow an acronym called FAST:

F is for the face: when asked to smile, one side of the face may not move / asymmetric smile

A is for the arm: when you ask them to extend both arms and you will find that one of the arms is not able to maintain its position

S is for speech: they may not be able to fully understand you and even if they do, they might not express themselves because their speech is affected.

T is for time: time is essential. If they have a problem with their face, arms or speech, they must be rushed to the emergency room.

The only thing common to all symptoms is the suddenness of the onset. One moment they are fine and the other he may have symptoms, which could mean it was an acute stroke. If any of these symptoms are observed suddenly in a person, then a stroke should be suspected and the most important thing is that they should rush to the emergency room immediately, because if there is a blood clot blocking an item , some medicines that break the clots may be given. to the patient and blood flow can be restarted. This is extremely important because this potential game-changing treatment is only possible if given within the first 3 hours of the stroke. Usually people stay home hoping that something has happened and that it will go away without needing treatment. Thus, this treatment only works if the person arrives at the hospital on time within the first few hours. This is called thrombolytics.

If the person cannot reach the advanced neurological center, then the safeguard they have is that because the blood clot does not dissolve due to the use of drugs, then a wire is inserted through the groin, in the blood vessel and we can guide this catheter into the blood vessel of the brain which has a clot, and then through this wire we can absorb or remove the blood clot mechanically. This is called a mechanical thrombectomy, it can be done 24 hours after the stroke ends. So even if the person does not arrive on time to take their medication, we still have a mechanical procedure with which we can restore the flow. It is of extreme importance to restore the flow of oxygen otherwise the area of ​​the brain that does not receive blood will be dead and then it cannot be resuscitated and the patient may develop lifelong disability. So if they can get to the hospital on time and do the thrombolytic, or the mechanical thrombectomy, the quality of life increases dramatically. Recognizing the stroke early is EXTREMELY important, even if you are in doubt, go to the hospital, see a doctor, and let treatment begin. But this must be done in a center suitable for thrombolytics and having the staff and the tools to perform the thrombectomy.

In Medanta we have a stroke code, so if we know that a patient is coming with a stroke, a stroke code is activated because to perform these procedures in a time limited way we have to be very efficient and work very quickly. When the stroke code is activated, a message is sent to about 12 people – the neurologist, the stroke nurse, the CT technician, the neurosurgeon, the neuro-interventionist, the technician in the angiography room. The goal is not to waste time. By the time a patient enters our facility, we aim to take only 30 to 60 minutes to give them all the necessary treatments. We have systems in place to ensure that these techniques are given within a specified time frame. Suppose out of 10 only 2 are stroke, we still consider it a job well done because we can save the quality of life of at least 2 patients.

Otherwise, stroke can have a huge impact on someone’s life because if you find yourself speechless, or your arm or leg is paralyzed, you have to live with it for the rest of your life. However, if we are successful in establishing the blood flow, the person can lead a normal life. You can lead a normal life if you arrive on time and these neurons and brain cells are not dead because as soon as you restore their power, they will be functioning normally.

This article is written by Dr VP Singh, President, Institute of Neuroscience, Medanta