A team from Doctors Medical Center’s Stroke Center gave a presentation before the Ceres City Council last week about stroke awareness and the importance of anyone to learn when someone is having one.

May is Stroke Awareness Month.

Awareness coupled with a fast response can mean the difference between life and death.

Every 40 seconds, somebody in the United States has a stroke; and every year about 140,000 die from them. More than 795,000 Americans suffer a stroke every year with one out of four at risk of a second stroke.

Strokes are more common in older folks but approximately 44.2 percent of stroke victims are 65 years of age or younger. Black folks are more than twice likely to have a stroke than Caucasians and a higher risk of death.

Medical personnel stress the need to act quickly if someone is having a stroke and ask the public to remember the acronym of FAST to save lives. FAST stands for:

• Face – A stroke causes facial drooping.

• Arm – One arm typically is weaker than the other so ask the possible victim to raise both arms and if they can’t, it’s a sign;

• Speech – A victim often has difficulty speaking or slurred speech or doesn’t make sense when speaking;

• Time – Quickly call 9-1-1.

Less common signs of stroke include a sudden loss of balance, change in vision or vision loss or sudden severe headache.

An estimated 80 percent of all strokes are preventable by knowing and lowering controllable risk factors, including stop smoking, correcting high blood pressure and blood sugar, and correcting high cholesterol.

The most common stroke occurs when a blood clot can dislodge and enter the brain. 

According to Breanna Cabeceiras, stroke coordinator at Doctors Medical Center, said there are two kinds of strokes, one which is the clotting type.

“Stroke and heart disease go together just like plumbing,” said Cabeceiras.

The hemorrhagic stroke occurs from a brain aneurism. Smoking, hypertension and genetics often contribute to aneurisms, which is a thinning of a vessel and burst, flowing blood into the brain. Aneurisms can be surgically repaired at Doctors.

“There is treatment for stroke. Stroke is preventable,” she added.

Treatment includes clot-busting medications but is time dependent, typically within four and a half hours of a stroke “so it is extremely important to call 9-1-1.”

The other option is surgical removal through a non-invasive procedure through a catheter.

Doctors Medical Center is the only one in the Central Valley with a comprehensive stroke center. The facility also offers rehabilitation, occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy and facilities and support for family members of patients.

In 2020, Doctors Medical Center earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval and the American Stroke Association’s Heart-Check mark for Comprehensive Stroke Certification, demonstrating the hospital’s continuous compliance with performance standards.