FAST (stroke)

FAST is an acronym used as a mnemonic to help early recognition and detection of the signs and symptoms of a stroke. The acronym stands for Facial drooping, Arm (or leg) weakness, Speech difficulties and Time to call emergency services.^[1]

• F - Facial drooping - A section of the face, usually only on one side, that is drooping and hard to move. This can be recognized by a crooked smile, or difficulty preventing saliva from leaking at a corner of the mouth.
• A - Arm (or leg) weakness - Inability to raise one's arm fully, or the inability to hold or squeeze something (such as someone's hand), or a new reduction in strength of an arm or leg when raising/supporting an extra weight (such as new difficulty of carrying/lifting a typical object, or raising one's body from squatting/sitting position).
• S - Speech difficulties - An inability or difficulty to understand or produce speech, slurred speech, or having difficulty repeating even a basic sentence such as "The sky is blue".
• T - Time - If any of the symptoms above are showing, time is of the essence; emergency medical services should be called and/or the person taken to a hospital immediately if possible.^[1] It is also important to note the time the symptoms first started appearing and pass on this information ("Time is brain"^[2]).