Anyone experiencing stroke symptoms should call 911 immediately. Curtis said dispatchers are trained to identify stroke symptoms, and to notify emergency medical technicians and emergency room doctors if the patient may be having a stroke. That gets the whole ball rolling, and we'll take care of the rest. Potential stroke patients must be tested to see if they have suffered a stroke and how severe the clotting is. Some stroke victims still hesitate to seek treatment, doctors said.
Any hesitation can be detrimental.
Because of the small window, prevention is key. Or, as the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. By nature, some people are more prone to strokes than others, especially the elderly. In addition, those who smoke put themselves at a higher risk. While some risk factors are modifiable by changing behavior, such as smoking, others cannot be avoided, such as family history.