Medical staff at Upstate University Hospital are seeing changes in the diagnoses of strokes and the ways they’re treating them. Registered Nurse and Stroke Program Manager Josh Onyan said he’s seen patients as young as 4-years-old, and treated a clot in a 13-year-old.
He suggested the most important thing people can know about strokes is how to spot them. Onyan noted the acronym FAST helps: Face drooping, Arm numbness, Slurred speech, and T for Time to get help.
“You don’t have to have all those symptoms. And … they don’t have to be major symptoms, but just something that suddenly happens to you and you no longer have that neurological ability to either speak, move your arm, or your face is drooping,” said Onyan, who recommended people call 911 with any concerns about those symptoms to get EMS to the patient quickly. “They let us know and then our team can be at the door waiting for you and we’ll take you right to CAT scan because, time is treatment, time is brain.”…