F.A.S.T. campaign launched to slash stroke death and disability rates
Just one in 20 stroke patients get to hospital in time limit for life-saving clot buster treatment
Dublin, 6th May 2010: The Irish Heart Foundation today launched a four-year FAST campaign to reduce death and disability from stroke by alerting people to the key warning signs and the urgent need to seek emergency treatment when the disease strikes.
The F.A.S.T. acronym has been developed to inform the public about the key symptoms of a stroke:
o Face – has their face fallen on one side? Can they smile?
o Arms – can they raise both arms and keep them there?
o Speech – is their speech slurred?
o Time – time to call 999 if you see any one of these signs.
The campaign is being mounted to tackle a frightening lack of public awareness about stroke – Ireland’s third biggest killer disease – highlighted by new Irish Heart Foundation research which revealed that less than 50% of Irish adults would ring 999 if they thought they were having a stroke.
The €1 million Act F.A.S.T. campaign, funded by public and corporate donations, is the biggest ever campaign undertaken by the Irish Heart Foundation and will include a major programme of TV and radio advertisements. The F.A.S.T. TV advert, originally commissioned by the UK Government, resulted in a 55% increase in stroke-related emergency calls that saved hundreds of lives. In addition, 40 local education campaigns run by stroke survivors, hospital staff, stroke support groups, fire brigades and ambulance services will take place throughout Ireland.
Irish Heart Foundation Medical Director, Angie Brown said: “We were shocked to discover that only 47% of people would call 999 if they thought they were having a stroke. The average stroke destroys two million brain cells every minute. The sooner a person receives emergency treatment, the more of their brain can be saved and the better their chances of surviving and minimising long-term disability. Getting emergency treatment immediately can mean the difference between walking out of hospital – sometimes within hours – and either death or spending the rest of your life being dependent on others. With more than 2,000 people killed by stroke each year and thousands more left to confront lifelong disabilities, this toll could be cut substantially if more people knew how to identify a stroke and that the only response is to ring 999.”
The research conducted by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and Red C followed up on the Irish Heart Foundation’s audit of stroke services which revealed that just one in 20 victims of the disease got to hospital within the time limit to receive the potentially life-saving clot buster treatment, thrombolysis. The study also shows that 61% of respondents didn’t know what a stroke was and 63% couldn’t name more than one warning sign of stroke.
Former RTE broadcaster and stroke survivor Paddy Clancy said: “I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for my wife recognising my stroke. I was travelling on a bus and from the other end of a phone my wife immediately knew I was having a stroke because of my troubled speech. Without hesitation she called an ambulance to intercept the bus and bring me to hospital, even though I insisted I didn’t need one. For once I am glad she ignored me. It could have been a very different outcome for me if she hadn’t insisted on calling the emergency services.”
In addition to the human impact of F.A.S.T., the Irish Heart Foundation insists the campaign can save the State millions of pounds a year by freeing up beds in acute hospitals and reducing the numbers of people requiring nursing home care. “Stroke care in Ireland currently costs the taxpayer at least half a billion euro every year. By cutting disability rates among the 10,000 people who suffer a stroke here each year, we will reduce this bill significantly,” said Dr Brown.
The Irish Heart Foundation’s F.A.S.T campaign received significant funding from Atlantic Philanthropies which was supplemented by donations from the Irish public, Pfizer and Covidien. In addition Pfizer is distributing thousands of posters nationwide to build on the awareness and Covidien helped the charity develop a dedicated website, stroke.ie as a hub for the campaign. Some 2,300 GPs will also help spread the F.A.S.T. message by displaying promotional materials in their surgeries and Boots chemists will support the awareness drive in all its 54 stores nationwide.
-ENDS-
For further information or to set up an interview, please contactFleishman-Hillard:
Andrew Smyth, andrew.smyth@fleishmaneurope.com or 01 6188 459/086 122 1551
Amy Pilgrim, amy.pilgrim@fleishamneurope.com or 6188 461/087 241 6600
Irish Heart Foundation Communications
Caroline Cullen – ccullen@irishheart.ie / 01 634 6908/ 086-6049282
Editors Notes
The Irish Heart Foundation is the national charity fighting stroke and heart disease and is funded up to 90 percent by public and corporate donations. The Irish Heart Foundation provides information on cardiovascular health, supports patients in managing heart disease and stroke, provides health programmes in schools and workplaces, co-ordinates the training of medics and the public in CPR, supports research, education and development in the medical profession and advocates better patient treatment and services.
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