What to Do Immediately if You Suspect a Stroke
The first thing you should do if you suspect that you or a loved one is having a stroke is to call 911. “Not your doctor, not a ride to the hospital,” Johnston says. “Paramedics can start care on the way and give the stroke team a heads-up so they’re ready when you walk in.”
Rapid hospital arrival is critical, Blumfield says, because certain clot-busting medications, given through an IV, can completely reverse the effects of a stroke. “Guidelines for administering these medications are generally within three hours of symptom onset, occasionally up to four and a half hours but never beyond that,” he says.
A procedure called a thrombectomy can also be used to remove a clot and is typically done within six hours of symptom onset — though current guidelines allow it up to 24 hours in certain patients if brain imaging shows there’s still brain tissue that can be saved.
