The widely used FAST acronym remains the best tool for helping bystanders recognize stroke symptoms, despite efforts to expand it to BE-FAST.
A new study showed that adding Balance and Eye changes (BE) to FAST — Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, and Time to call 911 — does not significantly increase the likelihood of bystanders immediately calling emergency services when a stroke is suspected.
The study showed FAST performed significantly better than BE-FAST in terms of recalling key face, arm, and speech symptoms.
“Our desire to capture everything may actually overwhelm the general public,” study investigator Opeolu Adeoye, MD, chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, and American Heart/Stroke Association volunteer, told Medscape Medical News….