SARASOTA – If you go to the hospital for a stroke, your treatment starts before you get to the ER.The Sarasota County Fire Department starts preventing irreversible brain damage the second you get in the ambulance.
“We ask them some questions, try to find out their medical history, if they’re on any medications,” Sarasota County Assistant Chief of E.M.S. Carson Sanders said.
Sanders says while they don’t officially diagnose a stroke, all paramedics know the signs and symptoms.
“Their mouth may droop on one side a little bit; their gaze may be a little afar,” Sanders said.
Sanders says they’ll perform a stroke scale test.
“We’ll ask them to hold their arms out, and they call that drift, so if one arm drops, they can’t hold both arms up steady. Those are all classic signs of a stroke,” Sanders said.
Meanwhile they take vitals, run an EKG, and start an IV.
“One of the things we teach all paramedics to do is to have the patient read a phrase,” Sanders said.
Based on the symptoms they decide where to bring the patient, and time is of the essence.
“They need to call 9-1-1 early. The sooner we get there, the better chance they have of making a full recovery,” Sanders said.
If the signs point to a stroke, they call in a stroke alert so the hospital can prepare, while paramedics start basic treatment.
“The beginnings of what treatment would be in the actual hospital, we can do those in the rescue, so when they get there it’s just a matter of transferring care, giving a good report,” Sanders said.
Because the care starts in the ambulance, Sanders says don’t waste those crucial minutes driving yourself or your loved one to the ER.
“Get us there; let us take care of the patient,” Sanders said. “We get them to the hospital as fast as we can.”
