#stroke recognition

The acronym for recognizing a stroke is FAST:

F-face, is their face lopsided, can they smile or is their smile crooked?

A-arms, can they raise both arms over their head? (A stroke usually affects one side more than the other.)

S-speech, can they construct a sentence and speak like they normally do, or are they struggling more than usual (I struggle with speech on a bad day anyway, which is why I say, more than usual). Can they remember their birthday?

T-time is crucial, if they get to emergency fast enough almost all the effects can usually be reversed. If there is any doubt, call emergency services. Or drive them there, it’s a matter of hours (I’ve heard 3-6). Don’t wait until morning.

Also I learned from a friend that bowel or urinary incontinence can also be a symptom of a stroke, so in my head the acronym will always be:

The Halloween google doodle got me very interested in stroke recognition. Took it apart the $1 implementation and rebuilt it from scratch as a way to learn and understand the mechanics of it. Here’s my web version of it, added corner detection from a different implementation I found that I thought was really neat.

If you suspect someone is having a stroke or has had one act FAST

  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  - 999 / 911 / emergency services for your country.