A stroke cuts off blood to part of the brain — and brain cells begin dying within minutes. The good news: recognising the signs early and reaching a stroke-ready hospital within the golden hour can mean the difference between full recovery and lifelong disability. At Carewell, our door-to-needle time averages 45 minutes. Here is how you can help us help you.
Remember B.E. F.A.S.T.
Neurologists teach this six-letter checklist because it catches nearly every stroke:
- Balance — sudden dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
- Eyes — sudden blurred vision, double vision or loss of sight in one eye.
- Face — one side of the face droops or feels numb; ask the person to smile.
- Arms — one arm drifts downward when both are raised.
- Speech — slurred, strange or hard-to-understand words; ask them to repeat a sentence.
- Time — call emergency immediately and note the exact time symptoms started.
What NOT to do
Do not let the person drive, sleep it off or take aspirin before a scan — bleeding strokes look identical to clotting strokes, and the wrong pill harms. Keep them seated, loosen tight clothing and wait for the ambulance. If you are with them, unlock the door and keep their phone and medication list ready.
Prevention beats treatment
Four in five strokes are preventable. Control blood pressure and blood sugar, quit smoking, walk 30 minutes daily and treat atrial fibrillation — an irregular heartbeat that quintuples stroke risk. Carewell’s preventive clinic bundles all of this into one annual heart-brain screen.
If any of the B.E. F.A.S.T. signs appear — even briefly — call +1 (555) 010-0177 or head to our stroke unit. Transient symptoms often warn of a major stroke within days.
Worried about your stroke risk?
Book a heart-brain screening with our neurology team this week.