In the article we will consider first aid at the first signs of a stroke. What is this pathology?
The concept of "stroke" is familiar to almost everyone today. It often happens that this condition occurs suddenly in a person, which can provoke very serious consequences, which consist in a variety of disorders - from the loss of the ability to talk and move to death.
Feature of the disease
The main feature of a stroke is the speed of development of this condition. As soon as it occurs in an acute form, resuscitators have only a few hours to save a person's life. However, in cases where this time is missed, many processes in the human body begin to stop - the person loses consciousness, and death may occur.
In order to help doctors who will fight for the life of the patient, it is necessary to knowhow to provide first aid for a stroke to a person before the arrival of the ambulance team.
Types of strokes
The causes of strokes are very diverse, and they depend on what kind of stroke occurs in each specific case of the disease. There are two types of strokes - ischemic and hemorrhagic.
Approximately 80% of all patients have an ischemic type of stroke, and the prognosis is as favorable as possible with timely treatment and the absence of aggravating factors.
Reasons
The causes of both types of strokes are congestion in the circulatory system. In such situations, some vessels completely overlap, and the tissues of the body, to which blood was supplied through them, are deprived of oxygen, as a result of which they die.
First aid for a stroke before the ambulance arrives is very important.
Such disorders of blood flow through the vessels can occur if there are the following reasons:
- thrombosis;
- narrowing of the lumen of large vessels;
- embolism, that is, blockage of one large vessel, when an atherosclerotic plaque becomes an obstacle to blood flow.
Differences of one species from another
The hemorrhagic type of stroke is much less common, and it differs from the ischemic type in that it has a worse prognosis for the patient's he alth. In this case, only 15% of all people who have this type of stroke survive.
Hemorrhagic stroke occurs due to the rupture of a certain blood vessel located in the brain. At the same time, blood begins to flow uncontrollably into the cranial cavity, internal hematomas and blood clots are formed that block the gaps of other vessels. After that, an irreversible process of brain necrosis begins, characterized by the death of its sections and the cessation of human life. First aid for a stroke should be provided in a timely manner.
Factors causing stroke
The main factors that contribute to the onset of a particular type of stroke are:
- High blood pressure, which can be triggered by the presence of a variety of diseases, as well as taking certain medications.
- Bad habits are one of the main factors. Smoking and alcohol are the main causes of thrombosis in the vessels.
- Diabetes mellitus.
- Sedentary lifestyle, which is characterized by a decrease in muscle tone, as well as an increase in pressure.
- Obesity. This problem contributes to the development of cholesterol plaques on the walls of blood vessels, which gradually clog their lumen, which in turn causes high blood pressure.
- Strong stress. In people who are often nervous, blood pressure can rise sharply and severe tachycardia begins.
- Age-related changes in the body. The walls of blood vessels in the elderly are quite worn out, their walls are thinned, so people after 60 years of age are the main risk group for developmentstrokes.
Symptomatics
In order to provide proper first aid for a stroke, you need to know how this condition manifests itself and what symptoms the patient may experience.
Such signs fall into two main categories. They are general symptoms that are characteristic of acute brain damage, as well as those that are characteristic of damage to a separate part of the brain.
Among common symptoms:
- severe dizziness and fainting;
- complication of balance;
- weakness;
- epileptic seizure;
- acute nature of headache;
- a state of stupor and excitement;
- lack of emotion.
Second group of manifestations
Among the second group of stroke manifestations:
- changing facial expressions;
- decrease in sensation in arms and legs;
- goosebumps;
- impaired motor function;
- decrease in visual activity and others.
All of the above symptoms can occur both in combination and separately. It often happens that the condition of people who have had a stroke is noted as similar to alcohol intoxication.
First aid for a stroke before the arrival of the ambulance may not have time to provide.
This is the main danger of developing the negative consequences of such disorders, because in cases where a strokehappens to a person walking down the street, passers-by neglect to help him or call an ambulance, mistakenly believing that the person is drunk.
Ways to quickly recognize the symptoms of a stroke
First aid for a stroke will be provided if signs of pathology can be recognized.
There is a certain technique, following which, you can determine a stroke within a few minutes. To do this, you need to carry out the following activities:
- Ask the person to smile. If in this case one side of the mouth remains motionless, this is the main sign of a stroke.
- Ask them to stretch their arms out in front of them and count to ten. Strokes usually involve only one arm being raised.
- Ask the person to say something. The speech of a citizen who has had a stroke may be completely absent or extremely unintelligible.
A person affected by a stroke can experience severe dizziness, so this condition can be recognized by the incoordination of the patient's movements. During a stroke, people may also lose sensation in certain areas of the body, resulting in no pain.
A non-characteristic headache is another sign of brain damage, so when this symptom appears, it is necessary to play it safe and urgently call a team of doctors, even if the patient thinks that everything is in order with him. This measure will help save a person's life.
ImportanceStroke First Aid
First aid is the most important step that should not be missed, and in cases where the symptoms of this condition of a person become apparent, a set of certain measures should be taken before the ambulance arrives. This is also important because brain cells die in an average of three hours during a stroke, so there is not a minute to lose.
Acts at the time of assistance
For the person who will provide this assistance, there are some basic recommendations. These include:
- Keeping calm. It is very important that the one who is near the patient does not panic and does not fuss, as this will prevent him from concentrating and properly organizing care for the patient. To calm down, you can take a deep breath and count to ten. Then you can continue to provide first aid for a stroke.
- In the first minutes of an attack, people near the patient should urgently call for specialists, even in cases where he has signs of death. First aid will need to be provided after that, while the doctors get to their destination.
- The ambulance operator should report symptoms as doctors will need to bring all the necessary equipment with them or arrive in a special vehicle that has everything necessary for resuscitation.
So, how to provide first aid for a stroke?
Help the sick,conscious
The next steps in stroke care depend on whether the patient is conscious or not. If he is conscious, the following steps should be taken:
- It is very important to make the person calm and distracted, even in cases where he cannot move or speak. However, if he stops being nervous, his pulse will not increase, which is also very important in the development of the disease. At the same time, the patient must be informed that the ambulance will arrive soon and nothing threatens his life. You need to talk to a person calmly, without raising your voice and not showing your concern.
- A person affected by a stroke should be laid on their back on a flat surface and the lower limbs slightly raised, which will help normalize blood circulation.
- If the patient is indoors, windows should be opened to ensure free breathing and oxygen supply to the body.
- In no case should you give a person food and drink, as well as medicines. Even if there are medicines for heart attacks and headaches at hand, it is strictly contraindicated to use them without the recommendation of a specialist.
- If there is a blood pressure monitor nearby, you need to measure the patient's blood pressure, and in cases where it is very high, you need to give him a drug that lowers blood pressure.
- If blood pressure-lowering drugs are not available for first aid for a stroke, it can be reduced by applying heat to the legs and cold to the lower jaw area.
Pressure reduction
Reducing pressure is very important, because when it rises to critical levels, there is a huge risk of rupture of blood vessels and separation of a blood clot, which threatens the patient with death.
While waiting for a team of doctors, it is necessary to carefully monitor the patient's condition, and in case of vomiting, as a frequent sign of strokes, it is necessary to turn him on his side and hold his head in a semi-vertical position. What else is first aid for a stroke at home?
Helping the unconscious patient
First aid for an unconscious person during a stroke is different from what is done when the patient is conscious.
The following activities are needed:
- Checking your breath. It is possible to determine whether a person is breathing by the characteristic movements of the chest, or by bringing the hand to the airways in cases where the patient's breathing is weakened.
- Checking the pulse. This procedure is performed by placing fingers on the carotid artery in the neck.
- In the absence of breathing, an urgent need to start resuscitation. To do this, it is necessary to clear the airways by wrapping the fingers with a clean cloth, after which you need to open the patient's mouth and free him from everything that interferes with normal breathing, for example, during a stroke, the tongue often falls down, which must be urgently removed. First aid for stroke is not limited to this.
- Nextthe event will be a pericardial shock - a specific imitation of electric shock, when the heart is triggered by a sharp concussion of the chest. The procedure is carried out with the patient lying on his back.
- Next, chest compressions should be applied. To do this, you need to sit to the right of the patient, put your palm on the central part of the chest, after which sharp pressure is applied with straight arms. At the same time, you need to lean on your hands with your whole body, and it is very important to perform these movements without stopping for three minutes. Everyone should know the first aid algorithm for stroke.
- If the patient starts breathing, stop resuscitation immediately, as this can again stop the heart. In cases where breathing is not restored, and there is still no pulse, these activities should be continued until an ambulance arrives.
- CPR. This event should be carried out by another person, if there is one nearby, so that the procedures are carried out simultaneously, but if there is no such person, it is recommended to continue to do heart massage. To give a person artificial respiration, you need to tilt his head up and start pumping air from mouth to mouth. The frequency of such pumping should be - one in two seconds.
If the patient's lips turn pink and he breathes, this means that resuscitation was carried out correctly.
Welooked at how to provide first aid for a stroke at home.
