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Make the 911 Call for Stroke Care!
Saving time may save you money . But saving time saves brain cells for the patient experiencing a stroke. Calling 911 for the patient having signs and symptoms of a stroke speeds time to treatments and saves brain cells. That in turn could potentially save numerous or possibly all functions and/or mobility.
Featuring:
John Sartain, CCEMTP
I have been with St. Mary's Health Care for 14 years. I started as a Paramedic and now serve as the Hospital EMS Liaison. I have been in EMS for a total of 29 years. In addition to becoming a Paramedic in 2000, I became a Critical Care Paramedic and a Tactical Medic as well as an Educator in numerous areas. I am now not only the EMS Liaison, but one of the Staff Development Coordinators in the Clinical Education Department at St. Mary's teaching CPR, Advanced Cardiac Care, Pediatric Life support and Advanced Stroke Life Support. Transcription:
Scott Webb: This is Mission In Action, a podcast from St. Mary's Healthcare in Athens, Georgia, focusing on patient-centered care under our mission to be a transforming healing presence within our communities. I'm Scott Webb. And today, we're discussing the signs and symptoms of a stroke and the importance of calling 911 immediately if we suspect that someone is having a stroke. And joining me today is John Sartain. He's the EMS liaison for St. Mary's Healthcare. So John, it's so great to have your time. We're going to talk about stroke today and how every second, every minute counts and the importance of knowing CPR and calling 911, and how time is brain and all that stuff I'm going to throw at you today. But before we get rolling here, tell folks what is a stroke. Are there different types and what are the signs and symptoms to be on the lookout for?
John Sartain: So, yes, there are a couple of types of strokes that we encounter. One would be an ischemic or what we would call kind of a clot that has developed in the brain. There's another kind also, hemorrhagic or a bleed. And so both of those affect the brain and affect normal activities that the individual might have and they present different ways, headache and it could be light sensitivity. And then there's the other, with the ischemic, it's usually a weakness, a slurred speech, could be facial drooping, unable to understand or unable to speak. And so there's different types and they present different ways and there's classes, obviously, that we teach our medical professionals how to recognize. And so we want to also teach the public, the community, that there are things that you can see and recognize and the importance of calling 911 after you recognize it.
Scott Webb: Yeah, absolutely. And great to set the stage there. And let's talk then, John, about what are the immediate steps? Like what should we do if we believe a loved one or even our self is having a stroke? And also, what should we not do?
John Sartain: What we like to get across is the recognition, obviously, and then calling 911 as soon as you recognize it, right? There's a chain of survival that American Heart Association on all these other classes that we teach that you got to recognize, and then you got to call fast.
And so if you don't recognize it, you can't call and, subsequently, your family member or your loved one may not get the help that they need. So recognition is obviously the first. So we teach some of the signs of symptoms. Those things that may not be right, then you call 911 or E911. They can map, they can locate. They will send the appropriate help, responders to you, whether it be a volunteer department or a paid fire department, ambulances where there's an EMT or paramedics on the truck as well. And those individuals have been trained to recognize and get that patient to a hospital as well.
One of the things that we have seen in studies is that people contact their loved ones and saying something's not right or they called their doctor and say, "Hey, something's not right," and so we just want to skip over that that's time, that's time sensitive. Brain cells are dying. So we want to go straight to 911 and get those professionals out there to begin the process of getting some healing and some help.
Scott Webb: Yeah, let's talk about that, the type of help that rolls up to our houses, right? Why it's so important to call 911, who's on those sort of rolling stroke centers, right? The ambulances, EMTs and so on, that it's not just about transportation. Maybe just take us through those vehicles that pull up in front of our houses that help us when we need help when we call 911. Why, especially in the case of stroke, is it's so important to get those folks here as soon as possible?
John Sartain: Sure. So when an ambulance pulls up to your residence, they should have two, possibly more, professionals not only on the ambulance, but maybe some first responders as far as fire departments, volunteer or paid. They're there to recognize and begin care, getting medical history, getting your medications, asking the right questions, maybe deciding, "Hey, this call would be considered a stroke, a potential stroke patient, so we want to take it to the appropriate facility. Those appropriate facilities can go anywhere from just being able to do maybe some x-rays and labs to taking them to a facility to where they can actually have even more care for that particular patient, stroke centers where they can give clot-busting medications or thrombectomies to where they can do a procedure to actually go get that clot that's in the brain.
So those medical professionals that show up, they can tell who may be having a stroke, what facility to take them to, and then they can begin the care. They can get IVs started. If there's an airway or oxygen that they may need, they can do that as. well. And then, I think one of the key things is what we call a stroke alert. So they contact us by either by phone or by radio and say, "We're about 15 minutes out," let's say, "and we have a patient that is presenting this way. We believe it's a stroke." Therefore, the hospital can then get the ball rolling. So that's the biggest, most important part of calling 911 and going by ambulance if you've had a stroke. This ambulance is 15 minutes out. They call the hospital and say, "We have a stroke patient." The hospital then gets the stroke team together, being radiology, the neurologist, all those things. Those people now know that we have a patient coming in 15 minutes and it reduces the time in a crazy amount. And that's the benefits. You can't do that in a car driving. And even let's say that wife can't pick up that larger husband, you know, there's just things that could really slow down the process.
Scott Webb: Yeah, I weigh my wife by about a hundred pounds, so there's no way she's picking me up and getting me in the car to go to the hospital. And I'm so glad you put it that way. Calling 911, those medical professionals coming to our homes is lifesaving. It's brain-saving, it's heart-saving. It's just so important. You know, you and I, before we got rolling, we were talking too about educating young people, nine to sixteen year olds or whatever age range. If they're living with older aunts and uncles or grandmas and grandpas, it's important for them to know the signs and symptoms of a stroke, right?
John Sartain: Exactly. We try to do a lot of education to all age groups including middle school and high school as well, because we're finding that a number of kids are living with their grandparents or their aunts or uncles. And we want to not just get this information out to older individuals or older generation, because we found that and studies have shown that there's a lot of people that actually live by themselves. They're widowed or whatever the case is. And then their grandchildren or their nieces or nephews come and live with them. And so obviously, we don't want them to have to experience this. But if they do experience it, they would know what to do if something's just not right with grandma or grandpa just is not acting right. What do they need to do? They need to call 911 and get some help there with them.
Scott Webb: Absolutely. And I had mentioned to you, you know, I have a 14-year-old and I would hope that she would know if something's not right with mom and dad, just call 911. You know, you're not a doctor. Don't try to figure it out. Trust your judgment. Trust your eyes.
John, this has been really great today. As we wrap up here, what are your sort of final thoughts and takeaways? I know that during COVID, folks have been delaying care, delaying going to the hospital for signs and symptoms of stroke and heart attack and a whole bunch of other stuff. So just in general, from your experience and expertise, why is it just so important that we rely on the medical professionals, both at the hospital, but how we get there as well?
John Sartain: All right. So yeah, the pandemic has definitely thrown a kink in things. People are scared to go to the hospital. They're afraid they're going to catch something. And what I just want to let people know is that we take great pride in being very cautious and careful inside the hospital and I hope outside of the hospital as well, people keep in mind. But the end result is you get better care if you're brought to the hospital, to the emergency department having a stroke instead of just waiting it out. There's stories or there's some stats out that say that there were three particular reasons that people don't call 911 for stroke and there were embarrassment. They think that they're not sure about the signs and the symptoms. With a heart attack, if I have chest pain, it might be associated with the heart. But these other things, there's so many variables when it comes to signs and symptoms. You can have some little bit of weakness, a little bit of slurred speech, a little confusion, a little altered mental status. So that denial as well, but don't delay. When you delay, there are brain cells that are continuing to die or have damage. And therefore, your outcomes are not as positive or not as good as where we find it, we treat it soon. So just if you're not sure, call 911 and get evaluated and hopefully things will be okay. But if not, we'll be able to get that care as soon as possible.
Scott Webb: Yeah, that's perfect. When in doubt, call 911. You know, if it turns out it's not a stroke, hey, great. No problem. You'll be on your way. But if it is, time is brain and saving brain cells and it's entirely possible, right? It's entirely reasonable that if you get care as quickly as possible, including the ambulance ride to the hospital, to perhaps a high level stroke center, you're probably going to be okay. But making that call, getting there, doing it the right way, doing it quickly, those are all key factors. So, John, thanks so much for your time today. You stay well.
John Sartain: I appreciate it.
Scott Webb: And for more information on strokes, go to stroke.org. And this has been Mission In Action, the podcast from St. Mary's Healthcare in Athens, Georgia, focusing on how we provide patient-centered care under our mission to be a transforming healing presence within our communities. Thanks for listening.
Scott Webb: This is Mission In Action, a podcast from St. Mary's Healthcare in Athens, Georgia, focusing on patient-centered care under our mission to be a transforming healing presence within our communities. I'm Scott Webb. And today, we're discussing the signs and symptoms of a stroke and the importance of calling 911 immediately if we suspect that someone is having a stroke. And joining me today is John Sartain. He's the EMS liaison for St. Mary's Healthcare. So John, it's so great to have your time. We're going to talk about stroke today and how every second, every minute counts and the importance of knowing CPR and calling 911, and how time is brain and all that stuff I'm going to throw at you today. But before we get rolling here, tell folks what is a stroke. Are there different types and what are the signs and symptoms to be on the lookout for?
John Sartain: So, yes, there are a couple of types of strokes that we encounter. One would be an ischemic or what we would call kind of a clot that has developed in the brain. There's another kind also, hemorrhagic or a bleed. And so both of those affect the brain and affect normal activities that the individual might have and they present different ways, headache and it could be light sensitivity. And then there's the other, with the ischemic, it's usually a weakness, a slurred speech, could be facial drooping, unable to understand or unable to speak. And so there's different types and they present different ways and there's classes, obviously, that we teach our medical professionals how to recognize. And so we want to also teach the public, the community, that there are things that you can see and recognize and the importance of calling 911 after you recognize it.
Scott Webb: Yeah, absolutely. And great to set the stage there. And let's talk then, John, about what are the immediate steps? Like what should we do if we believe a loved one or even our self is having a stroke? And also, what should we not do?
John Sartain: What we like to get across is the recognition, obviously, and then calling 911 as soon as you recognize it, right? There's a chain of survival that American Heart Association on all these other classes that we teach that you got to recognize, and then you got to call fast.
And so if you don't recognize it, you can't call and, subsequently, your family member or your loved one may not get the help that they need. So recognition is obviously the first. So we teach some of the signs of symptoms. Those things that may not be right, then you call 911 or E911. They can map, they can locate. They will send the appropriate help, responders to you, whether it be a volunteer department or a paid fire department, ambulances where there's an EMT or paramedics on the truck as well. And those individuals have been trained to recognize and get that patient to a hospital as well.
One of the things that we have seen in studies is that people contact their loved ones and saying something's not right or they called their doctor and say, "Hey, something's not right," and so we just want to skip over that that's time, that's time sensitive. Brain cells are dying. So we want to go straight to 911 and get those professionals out there to begin the process of getting some healing and some help.
Scott Webb: Yeah, let's talk about that, the type of help that rolls up to our houses, right? Why it's so important to call 911, who's on those sort of rolling stroke centers, right? The ambulances, EMTs and so on, that it's not just about transportation. Maybe just take us through those vehicles that pull up in front of our houses that help us when we need help when we call 911. Why, especially in the case of stroke, is it's so important to get those folks here as soon as possible?
John Sartain: Sure. So when an ambulance pulls up to your residence, they should have two, possibly more, professionals not only on the ambulance, but maybe some first responders as far as fire departments, volunteer or paid. They're there to recognize and begin care, getting medical history, getting your medications, asking the right questions, maybe deciding, "Hey, this call would be considered a stroke, a potential stroke patient, so we want to take it to the appropriate facility. Those appropriate facilities can go anywhere from just being able to do maybe some x-rays and labs to taking them to a facility to where they can actually have even more care for that particular patient, stroke centers where they can give clot-busting medications or thrombectomies to where they can do a procedure to actually go get that clot that's in the brain.
So those medical professionals that show up, they can tell who may be having a stroke, what facility to take them to, and then they can begin the care. They can get IVs started. If there's an airway or oxygen that they may need, they can do that as. well. And then, I think one of the key things is what we call a stroke alert. So they contact us by either by phone or by radio and say, "We're about 15 minutes out," let's say, "and we have a patient that is presenting this way. We believe it's a stroke." Therefore, the hospital can then get the ball rolling. So that's the biggest, most important part of calling 911 and going by ambulance if you've had a stroke. This ambulance is 15 minutes out. They call the hospital and say, "We have a stroke patient." The hospital then gets the stroke team together, being radiology, the neurologist, all those things. Those people now know that we have a patient coming in 15 minutes and it reduces the time in a crazy amount. And that's the benefits. You can't do that in a car driving. And even let's say that wife can't pick up that larger husband, you know, there's just things that could really slow down the process.
Scott Webb: Yeah, I weigh my wife by about a hundred pounds, so there's no way she's picking me up and getting me in the car to go to the hospital. And I'm so glad you put it that way. Calling 911, those medical professionals coming to our homes is lifesaving. It's brain-saving, it's heart-saving. It's just so important. You know, you and I, before we got rolling, we were talking too about educating young people, nine to sixteen year olds or whatever age range. If they're living with older aunts and uncles or grandmas and grandpas, it's important for them to know the signs and symptoms of a stroke, right?
John Sartain: Exactly. We try to do a lot of education to all age groups including middle school and high school as well, because we're finding that a number of kids are living with their grandparents or their aunts or uncles. And we want to not just get this information out to older individuals or older generation, because we found that and studies have shown that there's a lot of people that actually live by themselves. They're widowed or whatever the case is. And then their grandchildren or their nieces or nephews come and live with them. And so obviously, we don't want them to have to experience this. But if they do experience it, they would know what to do if something's just not right with grandma or grandpa just is not acting right. What do they need to do? They need to call 911 and get some help there with them.
Scott Webb: Absolutely. And I had mentioned to you, you know, I have a 14-year-old and I would hope that she would know if something's not right with mom and dad, just call 911. You know, you're not a doctor. Don't try to figure it out. Trust your judgment. Trust your eyes.
John, this has been really great today. As we wrap up here, what are your sort of final thoughts and takeaways? I know that during COVID, folks have been delaying care, delaying going to the hospital for signs and symptoms of stroke and heart attack and a whole bunch of other stuff. So just in general, from your experience and expertise, why is it just so important that we rely on the medical professionals, both at the hospital, but how we get there as well?
John Sartain: All right. So yeah, the pandemic has definitely thrown a kink in things. People are scared to go to the hospital. They're afraid they're going to catch something. And what I just want to let people know is that we take great pride in being very cautious and careful inside the hospital and I hope outside of the hospital as well, people keep in mind. But the end result is you get better care if you're brought to the hospital, to the emergency department having a stroke instead of just waiting it out. There's stories or there's some stats out that say that there were three particular reasons that people don't call 911 for stroke and there were embarrassment. They think that they're not sure about the signs and the symptoms. With a heart attack, if I have chest pain, it might be associated with the heart. But these other things, there's so many variables when it comes to signs and symptoms. You can have some little bit of weakness, a little bit of slurred speech, a little confusion, a little altered mental status. So that denial as well, but don't delay. When you delay, there are brain cells that are continuing to die or have damage. And therefore, your outcomes are not as positive or not as good as where we find it, we treat it soon. So just if you're not sure, call 911 and get evaluated and hopefully things will be okay. But if not, we'll be able to get that care as soon as possible.
Scott Webb: Yeah, that's perfect. When in doubt, call 911. You know, if it turns out it's not a stroke, hey, great. No problem. You'll be on your way. But if it is, time is brain and saving brain cells and it's entirely possible, right? It's entirely reasonable that if you get care as quickly as possible, including the ambulance ride to the hospital, to perhaps a high level stroke center, you're probably going to be okay. But making that call, getting there, doing it the right way, doing it quickly, those are all key factors. So, John, thanks so much for your time today. You stay well.
John Sartain: I appreciate it.
Scott Webb: And for more information on strokes, go to stroke.org. And this has been Mission In Action, the podcast from St. Mary's Healthcare in Athens, Georgia, focusing on how we provide patient-centered care under our mission to be a transforming healing presence within our communities. Thanks for listening.