On World Stroke Day, Stryker reminds the public to act FAST when witnessing signs of stroke

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Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA - October 29, 2018 – In line with its dedication to providing Complete Stroke Care, Stryker emphasizes the importance of recognizing the signs of stroke and seeking treatment quickly. Stroke is a major cause of mortality worldwide, resulting in six million deaths each year, and leaving another five million permanently disabled.¹ Approximately 1.9 million neurons are lost every minute during a stroke, making the recognition of warning signs essential to receiving timely treatment and reducing the risk of long-term effects.

Stroke requires FAST action
There are some common signs of a stroke, known as “FAST,” or Face, Arms, Speech, Time. Face refers to the facial droop on one side, or uneven smile that may occur. For Arm, the person may not be able to keep both arms raised at equal height. Speech refers to the person sounding slurred, having difficulty making sense or understanding commands. The final element is Time; it is imperative to call emergency services immediately if a person exhibits any of these symptoms.

Promoting awareness
World Stroke Day, started by the World Stroke Organization (WSO), is an annual campaign dedicated to raising awareness around the prevention and treatment of stroke. Stryker hopes to see the signs of a stroke become unmistakable everywhere.

“We are proud to be an active supporter of World Stroke Day. Stroke is a devasting disease affecting more than 17 million people each year” says Mark Paul, President of Stryker’s Neurovascular division. “Our hope is that through continued awareness efforts around stroke, we’ll see a reduction in stroke-related deaths and disability over time.”

To learn more about stroke and to spread the word about its warning signs, visit www.somesignssavelives.com This site is available in eight languages including English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Mandarin and Japanese.