Fade in to Interior – Office – Day. Medium Shot – Nigel. Wipe to Black.
- Nigel:
- Most of us know that a stroke is caused by some form of interruption of blood supply to the brain, usually by a blood clot, or maybe because a blood
vessel in the brain has burst. But what is less well recognized is that stroke is a real medical emergency. Rapid access to diagnosis and treatment could make the difference between
walking out of a hospital to independent living, or a lifetime of disability. We need to recognize stroke for the medical emergency that it is. We all know how important it is to get
quick treatment for heart attack victims. Well, stroke is no different. We need to change the way we respond to stroke and treat it as that medical emergency, a brain attack. It would
be inconceivable to delay diagnosis for a heart attack victim. But sadly, that's the reality for many stroke victims today, who do not get a proper and
full diagnosis within those critical first few hours after an attack. Fifteen million people each year are diagnosed with a stroke, so you can begin to
imagine the personal, social, and economic impact that that has. And the numbers suffering from stroke are set to increase. But there is a lot that can
be done and is being done to improve the situation. We can each make ourselves familiar with the signs and symptoms of a stroke. After all, the next victim
could be a friend, a neighbor, or a colleague. The medical community needs to find and implement ways to ensure that everyone who has a suspected
stroke has access to the early imaging, full diagnosis, and appropriate treatment to improve their clinical outcome. And we need to raise
awareness that a mini stroke, or TIA, as they're sometimes called, can increase the risk of a major stroke, and therefore need to be assessed and
monitored effectively. There is a huge challenge for everyone, and each has a role to play, whether it be the general population, the general public, the
government, and of course medical professionals. We need to change the way in which we see and manage stroke patients, to improve their chances
for a positive clinical outcome. And with brain attacks affecting so many millions of people worldwide each year, we need to start tackling this challenge together. Now.
