The independent., January 05, 2006, Page Page 8, Image 8

Page 8
The INDEPENDENT, January 5, 2006
Surgery information now on Web
Health Notes
RECOGNIZING A STROKE
A stroke occurs when the blood supply to a part of your brain is interrupted or severely reduced
and brain tissue is deprived of oxygen and nutrients. Within a few minutes to a few hours, brain cells
begin to die.
This is a medical emergency. Prompt treatment could be the difference between life and death.
Early treatment can also minimize damage to the brain and potential disability.
In the United States, stroke is the third-leading cause of death and a leading cause of adult dis-
ability; only heart disease and cancer cause more deaths annually. Every year about 700,000 Amer-
icans experience a stroke; about 160,000 of these people die.
The good news is that many fewer Americans now die of strokes than was the case 20 or 30 years
ago. Improvement in the control of major risk factors — smoking, high blood pressure and high cho-
lesterol — is likely responsible for the decline.
Some doctors now say that if they can get to a stroke victim within three hours they can often re-
verse the effects of a stroke. The trick is getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed and getting to the
patient within thee hours.
Signs and symptoms: It’s important to know the signs and symptoms of a stroke so the victim can
get prompt treatment. The most common signs and symptoms include:
• Sudden numbness, weakness, or paralysis of the face, arm or leg — usually on one side of the
body.
• Loss of speech, or trouble talking or understanding speech (aphasia).
• Sudden blurred, double or decreased vision.
• Dizziness, loss of balance or loss of coordination.
• A sudden, severe “bolt out of the blue” headache or an unusual headache, which may be ac-
companied by a stiff neck, facial pain, pain between the eyes, vomiting or altered consciousness.
• Confusion, or problems with memory, spatial orientation or perception.
For most people, a stroke gives no warning. But one possible sign of an impending stroke is a
transient ischemic attack (TIA). A TIA is a temporary interruption of blood flow to a part of the brain.
The signs and symptoms of TIA are the same as for a stroke, but they appear for a shorter period
— several minutes to 24 hours — and then disappear, without leaving apparent permanent effects.
A person may have more than one TIA, and the recurrent signs and symptoms may be similar or dif-
ferent. A TIA indicates a serious underlying risk that a full-blown stroke may follow. People who have
had a TIA are nine times as likely to have a stroke as are those who haven’t had a TIA.
Now, doctors say, a bystander can often recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:
1. Ask the individual to SMILE.
2. Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
3. Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently).
If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks phone 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symp-
toms to the dispatcher.
Since determining that non-medical volunteers could identify facial weakness, arm weakness and
speech problems, researchers
urge the general public to learn
the three questions. Wide-
spread use of this test could re-
sult in prompt diagnosis and
treatment of the stroke and
prevent brain damage.
Patients can prepare for up-
coming surgery with a visit to
PeaceHealth.org website.
St. John Medical Center has
launched an innovative, inter-
active website that gives pa-
tients hands-on information
about their medical condition
and the surgical procedure
used to treat it.
The website uses full-color
animated movies to take pa-
tients step-by-step through
their surgery and recovery. The
interactive experience provides
patients a better understanding
of their medical condition, treat-
ment options, and any risks of
surgery. The site answers com-
mon questions and help pa-
tients make educated, careful
decisions about treatment.
Visitors to the new Peace-
Health surgery website will
meet two animated, anatomi-
cally correct characters, offer-
ing a full-body view of a multi-
tude of potential surgeries. A
simple mouse-click on the ap-
propriate organ takes the visi-
tor to a comprehensive discus-
sion of that procedure.
“This is a great new tool,”
said Hank Hanigan, Director of
Surgical Services at St. John.
“People are used to the idea of
surfing a lot of web sites to
gather medical information.
This new site gives patients
much of what they need in one
place.”
Visitors to PeaceHealth.org
can also dive into other great
features, including the Health-
wise® Knowledgebase, which
contains easy-to-find and easy-
to-understand
information
Connect Back to
Fitness
First Month Only
$20
With EFT
registration
about diseases, medical tests,
medications, treatment options,
and key decision points.
PeaceHealth.org also offers in-
formation about the Longview,
Washington, St. John Medical
Center, its staff, services, tech-
nology, and many others items
of interest. To see the new sur-
gery site, visit: <www.peace
health.org/apps/services/De-
tails.asp?ServiceID=94>.
The site is best viewed using
Internet Explorer 5 or Netscape
6 browsers, and either Win-
dows Media or QuickTime
Player.
Strokes and low
back pain topic
of discussions
Stroke, Aneurysms, and Ar-
terial Blood Vessel Blockages
will be the topic of discussion
on Tuesday, January 10, from
6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Vascular sur-
geon James Peck, M.D., will
discuss the causes of blood
vessel-related disease and op-
tions for treatment.
Low Back Pain and Effective
Exercise Interventions will be
the topic on Monday, January
16, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.,
when Hans Carlson, M.D., will
give an overview on the caus-
es of lower back pain. Effective
exercise treatments will be re-
viewed, as well.
Both these free, no registra-
tion required, discussions will
take place at the Tuality Health
Education Center at 334 SE
Eighth Ave., Hillsboro.
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503-429-9410
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359 “A” Street, Vernonia