Doctors in Maryland use a new high-tech system to view a patient and her vital signs on the ambulance ride, before her arrival at the hospital. You wake up with sudden numbness on one side of your face or body. Newer treatments may extend that time, but speed remains of the essence. Too Late for Treatment Problem is, the number of people who make it to the hospital in time is small.
Stroke is still the third-leading cause of death in the United States.
This means that of approximately 30,000 patients experiencing ischemic stroke each month in the U.S., perhaps 400 to 500 receive therapy, and 29,500 do not. Obviously, doctors can't treat patients who don't go to the hospital. So getting people to recognize the signs of stroke is an important hurdle. Besides the symptoms mentioned above, a sudden, intense, unexplained headache may be a sign of stroke. People who experience stroke symptoms, or witness them in others, should immediately call 911 or go to an emergency room.