Maybe some of the readers have read articles circulating on social media about needling as first aid for stroke patients as shown in the image below. Is this true or just a hoax / myth? Stroke is a neurological emergency characterized by symptoms such as weakness on one side of the body, a tilted face to one side, and difficulty speaking. These symptoms generally appear suddenly. This disorder in general can be caused by a blockage in a blood vessel in the brain (ischemic stroke) or a rupture of a blood vessel in the brain (hemorrhagic stroke). Stroke Relief. If you feel or find a relative with symptoms of a stroke, you must immediately be taken to the hospital. As much as possible, the destination hospital at least has CT Scan facilities. With the CT Scan, medical personnel can determine the type of stroke experienced by the patient. This is very important because the treatment for ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke is different. In ischemic stroke, the goal of help is to destroy the blood clot that is blocking the blood vessels of the brain. The method that is commonly done is with drugs, it can also be with endovascular procedures. Meanwhile, in hemorrhagic stroke, the main goal of treatment is to stop the bleeding. Needlestick in Stroke Aid There is no official reference that recommends this method for first aid in stroke patients. In ischemic stroke patients, this method is clearly not useful for destroying the blockage in the brain because there is no relationship at all. In the case of hemorrhagic stroke, it is true that patients generally have high blood pressure so that the brain blood vessels burst. However, bleeding through the fingertips cannot lower blood pressure and stop bleeding in the brain. This is because the blood that is removed by inserting the needle in the fingertip is very little so that it does not have a significant effect on blood pressure. In addition, the human brain gets 20% of its blood supply from the heart pump and the body will always try to maintain this amount. So, even though we have removed the patient's blood, the heart will still pump blood to the brain. Dangers of Needling in Stroke Aid In addition to not providing good benefits to patients, it turns out that needling also has a negative impact on patients. The bad impact is that the patient is late in getting the right help because time is wasted on sterilizing needles and performing punctures. The stabbing process causes wounds and can cause infection. Conclusion It can be concluded that finger pricking with a needle in stroke patients is not beneficial and can actually harm the patient. If you find a patient with symptoms of a stroke, the help we can provide is to take the patient as quickly as possible to the hospital.