Dr. Haitham Hussein

And decreased level of consciousness, so people become suddenly sleepy or drowsy. These are the common stroke warning signs.

And decreased level of consciousness, so people become suddenly sleepy or drowsy. These are the common stroke warning signs.

And we want people to call 911 right away when they are experiencing or they're seeing someone experiencing stroke warning signs, weakness, numbness, facial droop, speech difficulty, loss of balance, vision change, or decreased level of consciousness or becoming sleepy and lethargic.

And we want people to call 911 right away when they are experiencing or they're seeing someone experiencing stroke warning signs, weakness, numbness, facial droop, speech difficulty, loss of balance, vision change, or decreased level of consciousness or becoming sleepy and lethargic.

And calling 911 before you call your doctor's office and before you call your friend or before you call your son to tell them that something is wrong, you call 911 first. And the value of that isn't just because, you know, you get the paramedics right away and, you know, They drive fast and bring it to the hospital. They also call us when they are at the scene or on the way.

And calling 911 before you call your doctor's office and before you call your friend or before you call your son to tell them that something is wrong, you call 911 first. And the value of that isn't just because, you know, you get the paramedics right away and, you know, They drive fast and bring it to the hospital. They also call us when they are at the scene or on the way.

They call the hospital and they tell us that we think there is a stroke person coming to your hospital. So we run down to the door and wait for the stroke, potential stroke patient. and take them from the ambulance directly to the emergency room, no triage, no delay. And so that gives a lot of benefit to the patient and the treating team when we get that heads up from the ambulance.

They call the hospital and they tell us that we think there is a stroke person coming to your hospital. So we run down to the door and wait for the stroke, potential stroke patient. and take them from the ambulance directly to the emergency room, no triage, no delay. And so that gives a lot of benefit to the patient and the treating team when we get that heads up from the ambulance.

So we always combine talking about the warning signs with what to do. They have to be set together. That's why we call it BFAST. B for balance, E for eye, F for face, A for arm, arm weakness, S for speech, and T means time to call 911. BFAST.

So we always combine talking about the warning signs with what to do. They have to be set together. That's why we call it BFAST. B for balance, E for eye, F for face, A for arm, arm weakness, S for speech, and T means time to call 911. BFAST.

And the symptoms, right? And I get that question a lot. And it's not your job, Stan, and it's not the patient's job to make the diagnosis. That's something that we can only find out when you are in the emergency room. And if it is a stroke in the eye, that means that the person is at very high risk of having a stroke of the brain in the next 24 hours. Okay.

And the symptoms, right? And I get that question a lot. And it's not your job, Stan, and it's not the patient's job to make the diagnosis. That's something that we can only find out when you are in the emergency room. And if it is a stroke in the eye, that means that the person is at very high risk of having a stroke of the brain in the next 24 hours. Okay.

And there are ways to treat stroke in the eye. And so if we can help you preserve the vision, then it's just no way to know if it's a stroke or not. And we do not expect anyone to know. And suspicion is good enough. If you suspect, yes, if you suspect that you or someone you see in front of you is having a stroke, You don't need to be sure. Suspicion is good enough.

And there are ways to treat stroke in the eye. And so if we can help you preserve the vision, then it's just no way to know if it's a stroke or not. And we do not expect anyone to know. And suspicion is good enough. If you suspect, yes, if you suspect that you or someone you see in front of you is having a stroke, You don't need to be sure. Suspicion is good enough.

Just come to us and we will figure it out.

Just come to us and we will figure it out.

That's a great point.

That's a great point.

Right. We say, we talk about it this way because of how hopeful we have become about reversing the effects of stroke. In the mid-90s, I went to medical school in 1993. That's how long it was. And back then, there was no treatment for stroke.

Right. We say, we talk about it this way because of how hopeful we have become about reversing the effects of stroke. In the mid-90s, I went to medical school in 1993. That's how long it was. And back then, there was no treatment for stroke.