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Friday, February 14, 2003By asking three simple questions, most people can diagnose stroke and act quickly to get the victim to a hospital for treatment, researchers reported Thursday ..The bystanders were able to accurately diagnose 96 percent of speech deficits and 97 percent of one-side arm weakness. They were less accurate with diagnosing facial weakness -- spotting it only 72 percent of the time -- but Amy Hurwitz, a medical student who co-authored the study, said this was expected because it is more difficult for a stranger to "know if there is something unusual about a smile. ..In the study, Brice and her fellow researchers played the part of 911-dispatchers while 100 visitors to the UNC Medical Center were recruited as bystanders and stroke survivors played the part of stroke victims. The bystanders were asked to place a phone call to the dispatcher who then walked the bystander through the three-part test. The bystander asks the victim to "show us your teeth," which is a smile test to detect facial weakness. The victims are also asked to close their eyes and raise their arms to detect one-sided arm weakness. And finally, the bystander asks the victim to repeat a simple sentence like "The sky is blue in Cincinnati." Slurred speech and one-sided facial or arm weakness are all classic signs of stroke, said Brice. posted by Sydney on 2/14/2003 06:07:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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