Stroke, when minutes matter

The Irish Heart Foundation’s new F.A.S.T. campaign raises awareness of the signs of stroke and importance of getting urgent medical attention

Almost half of Irish people would not call an ambulance immediately if they suffered a stroke, a worrying new survey has revealed.
The survey of more than 1,000 Irish people commissioned by the Irish Heart Foundation and the Government of Ireland, shows that just 55 per cent of those surveyed would dial 999 or 112 immediately if they suffered a stroke despite the fact that stroke is a medical emergency.

The Ipsos MRBI survey of just over 1,000 people aged 15 and older, revealed that 55 per cent of people said the first thing they would do if they were suffering a stroke would be call an ambulance, with women more likely to do so than men.

According to the survey, 26 per cent of respondents said they would tell a family member or friend while 5 per cent would contact their GP as their first port of call. Just 2 per cent of those surveyed said they would wait and see, try to relax or ignore the symptoms, with men more likely than women to have this response.

The results of the survey come as the Irish Heart Foundation and the Government of Ireland launch a new Act F.A.S.T. (Face, Arm, Speech, Time) campaign to raise awareness of the signs of stroke and the importance of getting urgent medical attention.

While treatment for a Stroke has improved dramatically over the past decade, they still rely on people getting to hospital as soon as possible.

How to Act F.A.S.T.
A simple test can help you recognise if someone has had a stroke:
Facial weakness – can the person smile? Has their mouth or eye drooped?
Arm weakness – can the person raise both arms?
Speech problems – can the person speak clearly and understand what you say?
Time to call 112 or 999 for an ambulance if you spot any one of these signs.

Every minute matters so act F.A.S.T.
The new #actfast campaign was launched today (Nov23) by the Ireland’s fastest woman, international sprinter Phil Healy, on behalf of the Irish Heart Foundation.
“On average, 21 people will have a stroke every day, but 10 of them do not know they need to get to hospital as quickly as possible,” said Chris Macey, the Irish Heart Foundation’s Head of Advocacy.
“When someone has a stroke, minutes matter and they cost real lives. A stroke kills two million brain cells every minute – and every 60 seconds saved between having a stroke to getting effective treatment saves one week of healthy life for a patient,” he added.
The Ipsos MRBI survey of just over 1,000 people aged 15 and older, revealed that 55 per cent of people said the first thing they would do if they were suffering a stroke would be call an ambulance with women more likely to do so than men.
According to the survey, 26 per cent of respondents said would tell a family member or friend while 5 per cent would contact their GP as their first port of call. Just 2 per cent of those surveyed said they would wait and see, try to relax or ignore the symptoms, with men more likely than women to have this response.
“While treatments for stroke have improved dramatically over the past decade, they still rely on people getting to hospital as soon as possible after a stroke,” said Mr Macey.
“One of those treatments must be administered within four and a half hours of the stroke, but the HSE’s most recent stroke register shows that roughly four stroke sufferers in every ten don’t get to hospital quickly enough to receive it.

“The register indicates a worrying trend with 59 per cent of people getting to hospital within four hours, whereas in the previous results in 2015, 56 per cent got there within three hours.”