With May being stroke awareness month, Christopher Commichau, M.D., professor of neurological sciences and neurosurgery at the Larner College of Medicine and director of neurocritical care and stroke at the UVM Medical Center, is emphasizing the importance of education, WVNY-TV reports.
Knowing the signs of a stroke can help patients get emergency care when they need it, and Commichau says every second counts. Officials with the hospital use the acronym “BE FAST” to highlight key symptoms to look for, like changes to Balance, Eyesight, Facial or Arm drooping, or Speech.
“They key is to recognize those signs and symptoms, get to your nearest ER, and then let us do our jobs and try and get you the appropriate therapy,” Commichau says.
Over the past two years, the UVM Health Network has seen an increase in patients coming in for acute stroke intervention procedures. They say this is a good thing.
“It’s a sign that our system is working—and when I say system, I mean the stroke system of care,” says Commichau.