The Tullamore Stroke Team are calling on people to think F.A.S.T this summer in support of the Irish Heart Foundation FAST Campaign which was launched in May this year.
To support this campaign, an information stand was set up in the foyer of the Hospital on Thursday, 17th of June. The purpose of the day was to raise awareness of stroke and promote the FAST assessment for people to recognise signs of stroke. People were encouraged visit the information stand and meet the stroke team and the Consultant.
Consultant Physician, Dr. John McManus, “We had a good flow of people attend the stand today. There is a general lack of awareness of the symptoms and signs of stroke and that much can be done in the early phases through appropriate use of clot dissolving treatment and Acute Stroke Unit care. Unfortunately many people come to hospital too late to administer the drug. Public awareness is vital”.
Pictured: Clare Brennan, SHO; Stacey Daly, Speech and Language Therapy; Michelle Crowley, Physiotherapy; Dr John McManus, Consultant Stroke Physician; Cliona McCormack, Irish Heart Foundation; Sharon Maher, Clinical Nurse Specialist Stroke; Christine Burke, Physiotherapist;Sinead Boyd, Clinical Nurse Manager;Edel Rigney Occupational Therapist; and at the back Oisin OhAlmhain, Pharmacist.
“Time is of the essence when you are dealing with a suspected stroke patient as “Time is Brain”. The earlier patients are assessed and treated after onset of symptoms the better the potential outcome. Awareness of the common symptoms and signs of stroke such as those highlighted by F.A.S.T campaign is an important public health initiative,” added Dr. McManus.
Stroke is generally of sudden onset and related to problems with the blood supply to the brain. Many people will know someone who has had a stroke and how damaging that it can be. In Ireland, stroke accounts for 7.2% of all deaths. Approximately 10,000 strokes occur in Ireland each year.
The majority of strokes are caused by a blockage to a blood vessel in the brain. A proportion of those who have a blockage in the blood vessel can be treated with a clot-busting drug, which has been shown to be one of the most effective therapies in helping to reduce disability or in some cases even reverse the symptoms of stroke.
The F.A.S.T. acronym has been developed to inform the public about the key symptoms of a stroke:
- Face – has their face fallen on one side? Can they smile?
- Arms – can they raise both arms and keep them there?
- Speech – is their speech slurred?
- Time – time to call 999 if you see any one of these signs.
Commenting Chris Macey, Head of Advocacy, Irish Heart Foundation: “By promoting the F.A.S.T. message, our charity’s aim in the short-term is to increase awareness of key warning signs and the need to ring 999 after stroke by at least 50%. But ultimately we want the F.A.S.T. message to become ingrained from a young age so that nobody has to die because they couldn’t spot a stroke or didn’t know that it was an emergency.”
The Irish Heart Foundation 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.
The Dublin Midlands Stroke Network Partnership was established in 2008 to better coordinate and develop services for patients presenting with acute stroke or acute stroke symptoms at AMNCH, Naas General Hospital, the Midland Regional Hospitals at Mullingar, Tullamore and Portlaoise and to deliver a comprehensive multidisciplinary rehabilitation service for all survivors of stroke throughout the network region. It involves consultant Geriatricians, Neurologists, Rehabilitation Medicine physicians, and specialist stroke nursing staff and Allied Health professionals working together with HSE management to develop comprehensive stroke services.
Part of the work to date has involved the implementation of a pilot Telestroke service to facilitate out of hours stroke assessment, diagnosis and intervention. The telestroke service is consultant-delivered via video-consultation with the patient and attending doctors. The consultant can control a mobile robot with camera screen, to review and talk to the patient and the patient in turn can see the consultant on screen. The consultant can review CT images and discuss treatment options with the patient and attending doctor. GPs, ambulance services, the Emergency Departments and the X-Ray Departments have all been involved in the delivery and smooth running of this service. The programme will be fully evaluated at the end of 2010.
The Midland Regional Hospital at Tullamore is working towards establishing a comprehensive Specialist Stroke Service. The current service is lead by Dr John McManus, consultant physician, a stroke nurse specialist, a nursing team and a comprehensive multidisciplinary team, including physiotherapists, occupation therapists, speech and language therapists and dietetics.
The service commenced thrombolysis (clot busting drug) treatment earlier this year and this is available 9-5 Monday to Friday. However, there are plans to extend this to 24/7 service in the near future. In addition, the service provides rapid assessment on a weekly basis for patients with symptoms of a stroke which last short periods commonly known as Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) or mini-stroke (threatened stroke) (so called TIAs or mini-strokes).
Patients, friends and relatives need to remember to think FAST and get to hospital as soon as possible.
2011 Stroke Awards Winners