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A stroke is a brain attack, caused when an artery in the brain is blocked or bursts and part of the brain starts to die. Fast treatment is crucial for a better chance at survival with less disability. If you see one or more signs of stroke, act FAST and call 911 immediately.
Face Drooping
Arm Weakness
Speech Difficulty
Time to call 911
F.A.S.T. is an easy way to remember the sudden signs of stroke. When you can spot the signs, you'll know that you need to call 9-1-1 for help right away.
F.A.S.T. is:
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Face Drooping: Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile. Is the person's smile uneven? |
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Arm Weakness: Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward? |
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Speech Difficulty: Is speech slurred? Is the person unable to speak or hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence, like "The sky is blue." Is the sentence repeated correctly? |
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Time to call 9-1-1: If someone shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 9-1-1 and get the person to the hospital immediately. Check the time so you'll know when the first symptoms appeared. |
Sudden confusion, sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes, sudden trouble walking or loss of balance, sudden severe headache with no known cause.
Sovah Health's two robots, Rosie in Danville and Lightning McBot in Martinsville, link our hospitals with Duke Telestroke Network and Duke neurologists. If you or a loved one comes to our emergency room with stroke-like symptoms, your health care team here connects to the Duke team immediately. Our 24/7 team approach with Duke offers you and your loved ones faster evaluation, diagnosis and treatment.
Remember: Call 9-1-1 if you believe you are experiencing a medical emergency.
Calling 9-1-1 is almost always the fastest way to get lifesaving treatment. EMS staff are trained to revive someone whose heart has stopped. It is best to call EMS for rapid transport to the emergency room.
In addition to being deemed a Chest Pain Center, Sovah Health-Danville and Sovah Health-Martinsville are Primary Stroke Centers. This means that our team has achieved a higher level of expertise to care for stroke patients. To us, it's an important accomplishment. To stroke patients and their families, it's assurance that the right care will be right here when they need it.
Get Directions to Danville here
Get Directions to Martinsville here
Sovah Health’s team of speech language pathologists, physical therapists, and occupational therapists take a patient-centered approach to individualized treatment to minimize the damage of stroke. Rehabilitation may include:
Rehabilitation doesn't reverse the effects of a stroke. The goal is to build strength, capability and confidence to continue daily activities despite the effects of stroke. For more information about Sovah Health Inpatient rehab services, click below to learn more.
