58 THE QUEENS COURIER • NOVEMBER 2, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
health
Survey fi ndings highlight that most survivors
don’t realize another stroke can be prevented
Stroke is the fi ft h leading cause of death
and also a leading cause of disability in
the United States. Approximately 800,000
people in the U.S. have a stroke every
year, with nearly 1 in 4 being recurrent
strokes. World Stroke Day is observed on
October 29th to raise awareness of stroke
risks and treatment and to ensure survivors
and caregivers are equipped with
the knowledge to prevent another stroke.
As a national sponsor of Together to
End Stroke®, Bayer® Aspirin is joining the
American Stroke Association to spread
the word that stroke can be largely preventable
and treatable.
Recent fi ndings from a survey conducted
by the American Stroke Association®
(ASA) among survivors of ischemic
(clot-related) strokes and transient ischemic
attacks (TIA), their caregivers, and
healthcare professionals underscore the
critical need to empower these individuals
with more education. While knowledge
of stroke warning signs and risk factors
are fairly high, only eight percent of
survivors and caregivers surveyed believe
that strokes can be prevented. In reality,
up to 80% of recurrent clot-related (ischemic)
strokes can be prevented with the
right steps such as managing blood pressure
and cholesterol, eating healthy, staying
active, stopping smoking and a doctor
directed aspirin regimen.
Aspirin is not appropriate for everyone,
so be sure to talk to your doctor before
you begin an aspirin regimen.
Healthcare professionals (HCPs) are
also helping raise awareness, as 84%
of those surveyed are talking to their
patients about the signs, risks and prevention
of secondary stroke. HCPs believe
that patients struggle to comply with secondary
stroke prevention plans because
they don’t understand the importance,
lack motivation, or don’t observe changes
quickly enough. Th ey cite that survivors
fi nd it most diffi cult to quit smoking
(37%), exercise regularly (29%) and manage
their weight (26%).
While most survivors and caregivers
believe lifestyle changes are an important
part of stroke recovery, many fi nd it
diffi cult to exercise regularly and manage
their weight. Th e most common change
survivors make is taking recommended
medication (83%) and taking aspirin
daily (63%). 58% view high blood pressure
as the most important risk factor for
stroke and 65% say they consistently control
blood pressure as part of their stroke
recovery plan.
Th e survey also found that approximately
half of the survivors and caregivers
have heard of F.A.S.T., the acronym being
used by the American Stroke Association
to highlight the most common signs and
symptoms of stroke, which are as follows:
F- Face Drooping. Ask the person to
smile. Does the face look uneven?
A -Arm Weakness. Ask the person to
raise both arms. Does one arm drift down
or is it unable to move?
S - Speech Diffi culty. Ask the person to
repeat a simple phrase. Does their speech
sound strange? Strange speech could be
slurred, the wrong words may come out,
or the person is unable to speak.
T- Time. Time to call 9-1-1. Th e survey
revealed resources to motivate survivors
and to make it easier to adopt lifestyle
changes are crucial. In addition to
support from their healthcare provider,
caregivers also play a critical role in
enabling survivors to adopt these practices.
By arming stroke survivors, caregivers
and family members with information
on secondary stroke prevention, the
American Stroke Association and Bayer®
Aspirin can get closer to our goal of helping
end stroke.
Visit StrokeAssociation.org for more
information and resources about secondary
stroke.
Courtesy BPT
LIJ Forest Hills Enhances Stroke Treatment
When it comes to a stroke, every second
counts. Shortening the time to treatment
helps save brain function aft er a stroke.
Th at’s why the Emergency Department
at Long Island Jewish Forest Hills
recently began using telestroke, a remote
video consultation system that connects
a stroke patient in the hospital’s ED to a
Northwell Health stroke neurologist in
real time day or night.
“Most hospitals across the United
States do not have a stroke neurologist
on-site. However, we are able
to leverage the extraordinary depth of
Northwell Health to assure that these
specially-trained physicians are available
to patients in our Emergency
Department,” said Teresa Amato, MD,
chair of emergency medicine at LIJ
Forest Hills.
Th rough telestroke, emergency staff is
able to bring the stroke specialist to the
patient’s bedside via innovative technology.
An ED nurse wheels a cart with
a 32-inch monitor and camera to the
patient’s bed and remotely connects to
the stroke neurologist’s workstation.
Th e stroke neurologist can see and talk
to the patient immediately, has access to
all critical data, such as vital signs and
test results, and can administer a physical
exam with the aid of a nurse.
Prior to telestroke, the ED physician
and neurologist would have to discuss
symptoms and treatment options
by phone. Th e telestroke system builds
upon that connectivity, which is a great
community resource given that LIJ
Forest Hills treats more than 500 cases
of stroke a year.
Using real-time technology helps the
stroke neurologist to determine whether
to give the patient plasminogen activator
(tPA), a clot-busting drug that can
dissolve a blood clot and prevent the
stroke area from becoming larger.
A stroke occurs when a blood vessel
that carries oxygen and nutrients to the
brain gets blocked by a clot or bursts.
Th e clot-busting drug is only eff ective if
it’s administered within three hours of
stroke symptoms.
“If you’re having a stroke you need
to get to a hospital as quickly as possible,”
said Rohan Arora, MD, director of
the stroke program at LIJ Forest Hills.
Nurse Elianora Safi ev interacts remotely with an off site stroke specialist via telestroke as Dr. Teresa
Amato examines a possible stroke patient in the emergency room.
“With the clot-busting drugs that we
give you, every minute that you delay
treatment is 1.9 million brain cells lost,”
Th e telestroke video consult can also
help assess if the patient requires transport
to North Shore University Hospital
in Manhasset, which is a tertiary facility
which provides neurosurgery.