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Are you prepared? Stroke awareness begins with you

Education can help prevent strokes1

  • Improve public knowledge of the risk factors, signs, and symptoms of stroke through support tools and measures
  • Highlight importance of emergency response numbers, such as 911, upon symptom onset
  • Establish educational programs that specifically target high-risk populations and their families
  • Create a database of stroke survivors

Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale2

The Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale is one tool developed for prehospital assessment. By looking at a patient's facial expression, arm movement, and speech function and identifying an abnormality in any one of these, the assessor may identify a suspected stroke.

Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale(2)

Prehospital assessment scale may not capture all patients.

The Face Arm Speech Test,3 also known as F.A.S.T., is a modification of the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale.

  • The F.A.S.T. system is designed to be a quick prehospital stroke screening tool that assesses facial expression, arm movement, and speech function
  • If an abnormality exists in any of these areas — face, arms, speech — a stroke should be strongly suspected and the patient should be taken to the nearest certified stroke center

F.A.S.T. Materials

Order or download these tools:

F.A.S.T. Poster

DOWNLOAD OR ORDER

F.A.S.T. Magnet

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F.A.S.T. Wallet Card

DOWNLOAD OR ORDER

Indication
Activase (Alteplase) is indicated for the management of acute ischemic stroke in adults for improving neurological recovery and reducing the incidence of disability. Treatment should only be initiated within 3 hours after the onset of stroke symptoms, and after exclusion of intracranial hemorrhage by a cranial computerized tomography (CT) scan or other diagnostic imaging method sensitive for the presence of hemorrhage (see CONTRAINDICATIONS).

Safety Information
Activase therapy in patients with AIS is contraindicated in certain situations (eg, suspicion of subarachnoid hemorrhage on pretreatment evaluation, recent (within 3 months) intracranial or intraspinal surgery, history of intracranial hemorrhage, uncontrolled hypertension at time of treatment, active internal bleeding, known bleeding diathesis (eg, current use of oral anticoagulants, administration of heparin within 48 hours of onset of stroke, platelet count <100,000) (see CONTRAINDICATIONS for full list).

The most common complication during Activase therapy is bleeding. Should serious bleeding in a critical location (intracranial, gastrointestinal, retroperitoneal, pericardial) occur, Activase therapy should be discontinued immediately. Death and permanent disability are not uncommonly reported in patients who have experienced stroke (including intracranial bleeding) and other serious bleeding episodes.

The risks of Activase therapy may be increased and should be weighed against the anticipated benefits in certain conditions. [See WARNINGS in full prescribing information].

  • Patients with severe neurological deficit (eg, NIHSS >22) at presentation. There is an increased risk of intracranial hemorrhage in these patients.
  • Patients with major early infarct signs on a computerized cranial tomography (CT) scan (eg, substantial edema, mass effect, or midline shift).

Treatment of patients with minor neurological deficit or with rapidly improving symptoms is not recommended.

Orolingual angioedema has been observed in postmarketing experience in patients treated with Activase for AIS. Patients should be monitored during and for several hours after infusion for signs of orolingual angioedema.

Please click here for full prescribing information.
References:
1.
Schwamm LH, Pancioli A, Acker JE, et al. ASA policy recommendations: recommendations for the establishment of stroke systems of care. Stroke. 2005;36:690-703.
2.
Kothari RU, Pancioli A, Liu T, Brott T, Broderick J. Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale: reproducibility and validity. Ann Emerg Med. 1999;33:373-378.
3.
Mohd Nor A, McAllister C, Louw SJ, et al. Agreement between ambulance paramedic- and physician-recorded neurological signs with Face Arm Speech Test (FAST) in acute stroke patients. Stroke. 2004;35:1355-1359.