If you see any one of the F.A.S.T. signs, call 000 straight away. Not after watching for a while, not after a cup of tea to see if it passes. Stroke treatment is time-dependent in a way almost nothing else is.
The F.A.S.T. test
- F — Face. Has their mouth drooped?
- A — Arms. Can they lift both arms?
- S — Speech. Is their speech slurred? Do they understand you?
- T — Time. Time is critical. If you see any of these signs, call 000 now.
You do not need all three. Any one is enough to call.
Other signs that can mean stroke
Face, arm and speech are the most common, but these can appear alone or together:
- Weakness, numbness or paralysis of the face, arm or leg — on one side or both
- Difficulty speaking or understanding
- Dizziness, loss of balance, or an unexplained fall
- Loss of vision, or sudden blurring in one or both eyes
- A severe headache of sudden onset, or an unexplained change in headache pattern
- Difficulty swallowing
If the signs go away
Symptoms that disappear after a few minutes may have been a transient ischaemic attack. It is tempting to be relieved and move on. Don’t — a TIA raises the risk of a full stroke, and it is also a warning that can be acted on. Call 000 regardless of how long the signs lasted.
While you wait for the ambulance
- Note the time the symptoms started, or when the person was last seen well. The hospital will ask, and the answer shapes which treatments are available.
- Stay with them and keep them calm and comfortable.
- Nothing to eat or drink — swallowing may be affected.
- Do not give aspirin. Not all strokes are clots; some are bleeds, and aspirin makes a bleed worse.
- If they become unresponsive but are breathing normally, use the recovery position. If they are not breathing normally, start CPR — see DRSABCD.
Why the hurry
Stroke is always a medical emergency. The Stroke Foundation is unambiguous: the longer it goes untreated, the greater the risk of brain damage, and early treatment improves the chance of survival and recovery. Ambulance services can also take the person to a hospital set up for stroke care, which is not always the nearest one — another reason not to drive them yourself.
This is a summary of what is taught in class, not a substitute for training. Skills like this are assessed practically for a reason — reading about them is not the same as having done them. In a real emergency, call 000.
Learn it properly
Recognising stroke and other sudden medical conditions is taught in HLTAID011 first aid including CPR. Best First Aid Training runs it at Parramatta, Penrith, Blacktown and Liverpool.
Source: Stroke Foundation Australia, Signs of stroke.
