Time is brain when it comes to strokes

This month's blog has been prepared by Dr. Jan Goossens, Chief of Staff at Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare.

There are an estimated 50,000 strokes in Canada each year. It’s hard to imagine, but that’s one stroke every 10 minutes. With over 14,000 Canadians dying from stroke every year, it’s the third leading cause of death in Canada.

Early access to expert stroke care is essential to ensure the best possible outcomes. For every minute delay in treating a stroke, the average person loses 1.9 million brain cells. Each hour in which treatment does not occur, the brain loses as many neurons as it does in almost 3.6 years of normal aging.

Strokes are common, preventable and treatable. They key is knowing the signs of stroke during the initial onset and not ignoring them. There is a limited window of time from the onset of a stroke to administering a drug that could drastically increase the chance of survival and reduce and in some cases even reverse the effects of a stroke. This drug, called tPA, can only be used within 3.0 hours(and sometimes up to 4.5 hours) of the onset of symptoms, making it extremely important to note the time that the first signs of stroke occurred, call 911 and to the hospital.

June is Stroke Month, so what better time to remind ourselves of the warning signs and symptoms and act FAST. There is a tendency for some people to shrug off the symptoms of a stroke, so it’s important to know and remember the FAST acronym and pay attention to the symptoms. 

Face – is it dropping?

Arms – can you raise both?

Speech – is it slurred or jumbled?

Time – to call 9-1-1 right away

Here in Muskoka, timely stroke care is provided through the Simcoe/Muskoka Acute Stroke Protocol and the District Stroke Centre at MAHC’s Huntsville site. This means that a patient with stroke symptoms anywhere in Muskoka and East Parry Sound is treated in Huntsville by the specialized stroke team. The region is also fortunate to have a District Stroke Nurse who provides community education about stroke and stroke care.

We at MAHC are proud to be part of a regional stroke program under the Central East Stroke Network, one of 11 regional areas across the province working toward fewer strokes and better outcomes.