Tick…tick…tick. Every 45 seconds, on average, someone suffers a stroke. Every 3.1 minutes. someone dies of this third leading cause of death, sometimes called a “brain attack.” It is the leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the U.S.

A stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery (a blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the body) or a blood vessel (a tube through which the blood moves through the body) breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain. When either of these things happen, brain cells begin to die and brain damage occurs.

The death of these brain cells during a stroke causes abilities controlled by that area of the brain to be lost. These abilities can include speech, movement and memory. How a stroke patient is affected depends on where the stroke occurs in the brain and how much the brain is damaged.

Someone who has a small stroke may experience only minor problems such as weakness of an arm or leg. People who have larger strokes may be paralyzed on one side or lose their ability to speak. Some people recover completely from strokes, but more than two-thirds of survivors will have some type of disability.

About 700,000 people in the U.S. will experience a new or recurrent stroke this year.

Knowing what to do in case of a stroke can mean the difference between life and death. Getting immediate attention from a specialized stroke care team can dramatically increase your chances of survival and recovery.

As a designated Primary Stroke Center by the Joint Commission, Northwest Medical Center has demonstrated that our stroke care program follows national standards and guidelines that can significantly improve outcomes for stroke patients. Our Stroke Team, comprised of emergency medicine physicians, nurses, and neurologists, knows just what to do.

Knowing the warning signs! Stroke symptoms include:

* Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg – especially on one side of the body.

* Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.

* Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.

* Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.

* Sudden severe headache with no known cause.

Seek immediate treatment at Northwest’s Stroke Center should any of these symptoms occur.

The National Stroke Association also recommends using the F.A.S.T. method for recognizing and responding to stroke symptoms:

F = FACE                  Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?

A = ARMS                 Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?

S = SPEECH             Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence. Does the speech sound slurred or strange?

T = TIME                  If you observe any of these signs, it’s time to call 9-1-1 or get to the nearest stroke center or hospital.

Learning about strokes could help save a co-worker, friend, or relative’s life. Click here to learn more about risk factors and download a Stroke Risk Scorecard: National Stroke Association Stroke Risk Factors