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Emergency Medicine & First Aid vocabulary · Medical Emergencies

Stroke

Meaning in emergency medicine & first aid, with examples

/stroʊk/nounCore term

In emergency medicine & first aid, stroke means: A sudden loss of brain function caused by a blocked blood vessel or bleeding in the brain, often showing as a drooping face, arm weakness or slurred speech.

In Turkish: inme, felç, beyin krizi

How it is used

Crews and the public use the FAST test: Face, Arms, Speech, Time to call. Some US services say BE FAST, adding Balance and Eyes. Clinicians separate ischemic stroke (a clot) from hemorrhagic stroke (a bleed) and ask about 'time of onset' or when the patient was 'last seen well'.

Example sentences

  1. Her face is drooping on one side and she can't lift her right arm. It looks like a stroke.

  2. We're bringing in a suspected stroke, last seen well forty minutes ago.

Common collocations

  • have a stroke
  • suspected stroke
  • stroke symptoms
  • FAST test
  • stroke unit
  • heart attackDamage to part of the heart muscle when its blood supply is suddenly blocked, usually by a clot in a coronary artery; typical signs are chest pain and breathlessness.
  • seizureA sudden burst of abnormal electrical activity in the brain that can cause shaking, stiffness, staring or a short loss of consciousness.
  • GCSShort for Glasgow Coma Scale: a score from 3 to 15 for level of consciousness, based on how a patient opens their eyes, speaks and moves.
  • golden hourThe period, traditionally about one hour, after a serious injury during which fast treatment is believed to give the best chance of survival.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Medical Emergencies

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.