Two events in May promote stroke awareness and the need to be FAST

When stroke symptoms strike, the odds of recovery are measured in the minutes from when symptoms are discovered to when treatment begins. To boost awareness of the need for immediate action when a stroke is suspected, the Stroke Programs at Falmouth and Cape Cod hospitals have partnered with local organizations to present two events this month.

Free Seminar: Tuesday, May 16, at 4 p.m. at Broad Reach at Liberty Commons in North Chatham. The seminar will feature neurologists Karen Lynch, MD, and Michael D. Markowski, DO, and demonstrations by physical, speech and occupational therapists will be given. Representatives of Cape and Islands Emergency Medical Services System (EMS) will attend, said Lisa Lyons, RN, stroke program manager at Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis. Broad Reach is a post-acute rehabilitation facility. Because space is limited and refreshments will be served, advance registration by May 9 at www.capecodhealth.org/stroke-seminar is requested.

5K Run: Sunday, May 14 (Mother’s Day), at 8 a.m. starting and ending at Falmouth Town Hall. The run will be held in collaboration with the Falmouth Running Club and Falmouth EMS, according to Jean Estes, RN, manager of Falmouth Hospital’s stroke program. The race is for women only, and walkers are welcome, but men and women can drop by the Stroke Program tent to get a free T-shirt promoting FAST (an acronym used for stroke awareness, which stands for Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty and Time to call 911). Entry to the race costs $30 in advance, $35 the day of the event, free for people younger than 18. For more information, visit their website, email info@falmouthrunningclub.org or call the club at 508-540-6959.

Need for Speed

The stroke programs at both area hospitals work with Cape and Islands EMS to quickly assess and treat people with stroke symptoms, before it’s too late. These steps include:

• Coordination with emergency departments at Cape Cod or Falmouth hospital beginning as soon as a paramedic arrives at a patient's home by ambulance, so a patient can be whisked into radiology for a CT scan of the brain.
• Administration of a "clot-busting" drug to dissolve the clot can begin, but only within 4.5 hours of when the patient last had no symptoms or within three hours for patients over 80. For patients who wake up with symptoms, this “last known well” would be when they went to bed the previous night.
• Making the decision of whether the patient needs to be promptly transferred for surgery to remove a clot, which is only done with 24 hours of “last known well.”

Many people aren’t aware of the need to act quickly if they or a loved one show stroke symptoms, Lyons said.

“Unfortunately, what we see is people have symptoms and think that it will go away and it’s too late” when they seek treatment, she said. “Or, symptoms go away and come back over a few days, which could be a TIA (transient ischemic attack, sometimes described as a mini-stroke). These are warning signs you shouldn’t ignore.”

Stroke symptoms include weakness, numbness or drooping on one side of the face or body, vision changes, severe headache, confusion, and difficulty speaking and swallowing. The majority of strokes are ischemic, when a clot blocks blood flow in the brain, killing brain cells. An estimated 15 percent of strokes are hemorrhagic, when a leak in an artery damages the brain.

“Many people don’t understand we have a partnership with EMS,” Estes said. “Stroke alerts will be called (by a paramedic to the hospital) so that treatment starts faster.”

Estes said participants in the Mother’s Day race will get a race T-shirt, but 220 or so FAST T-shirts will be available at no cost to anyone as long as supply lasts and “as long as they promise to wear it,” Estes said. “They’ll be walking billboards” promoting common stroke symptoms and the importance of getting help quickly. At the tent, people will be able to ask questions and get more information about strokes.

Both events were paid for with Stroke Public Awareness Collaboration Project grants distributed in Massachusetts by MORE Advertising, a woman-led agency specializing in changing attitudes and working on social issues, according to its website.