Too few patients call an ambulance after suffering a stroke: study

By Helen Branswell, THE CANADIAN PRESS July 12, 2012 1:02 PM

TORONTO — A new study on stroke care in Ontario highlights the fact that many people who suffer from a stroke are still waiting too long to seek medical attention.

The study says more than one in three people who experience a stroke don’t arrive at the hospital by ambulance.

It says calling 911 is the appropriate response to signs or symptoms of strokes.

Patrice Lindsay of the Canadian Stroke Network says ambulance staff assess patients for the telltale signs of stroke and will ensure a patient gets to the right hospital for care.

Small hospitals without CT scanners cannot diagnose strokes and give the clot-busting drugs that are crucial for minimizing the damage of a stroke.

Lindsay says ambulances will also call ahead so hospitals can arrange to free up CT scanners and have stroke teams on hand when the patient arrives.

Getting care quickly is critical with a stroke. The medical community uses the adage “time is brain” — referring to the fact that clot-busters received with the first few hours after a stroke can significantly reduce the damage a stroke patient sustains.

Lindsay, who is the stroke network’s director of performance and standards, says too often people don’t recognize the symptoms of stroke.

And many people downplay them, thinking the weakness or dizziness they feel will go away if they take a nap, she says.

“So the message we have to get out is a) recognize the symptoms and b) don’t take that chance. Because it could be the difference between walking out of the hospital of your own accord in a week or two versus ending up in permanent long-term care,” says Lindsay, who is a stroke survivor.

Symptoms of stroke include sudden weakness or loss of sensation in the face, arm or leg; difficulty speaking or understanding speech; sudden trouble with vision; sudden severe headache and dizziness or a sudden loss of balance.

The study, released by the Canadian Institutes for Health Information, looked at treatment of more than 62,000 stroke patients in Ontario from 2006-2007 through 2009-2010.