Doctors warn about mistakes in first aid for stroke patients.
Despite years of public awareness campaigns, the misuse of stroke first aid methods remains common, causing patients to miss the "golden hour" for emergency treatment. Doctors warn that acupuncture, scraping the fingertips, or acupressure are not only useless but also pose a risk of death due to delayed treatment.
On August 3rd, the Stroke Center of Nghe An Friendship General Hospital admitted a 75-year-old male patient with mild paralysis and difficulty speaking. The patient is Mr. Pham Ngoc Toan (born in 1949), residing in Van An commune, Nghe An province.
Notably, all ten of his fingertips bore pinprick marks. His family said they suspected something was wrong when they noticed Mr. Toan exhibiting unusual symptoms.strokeInstead of calling emergency services immediately, they tried a "folk remedy" they learned online: pricking the fingertips with needles in the hope of "improving blood circulation." Only when his condition didn't improve did they take him to the hospital.
Here, doctors determined that Mr. Toan had suffered a stroke and had passed the critical "golden hour" for emergency treatment – the first 3-4.5 hours after the onset of stroke symptoms, when medical interventions can be most effective. Fortunately, this was a mild stroke, so the patient received timely treatment and is gradually recovering.
Dr. Dao Thanh Luu, a Master's degree holder and resident physician at the Stroke Center of Nghe An Friendship General Hospital, stated: "Almost every month, the center receives several stroke patients who received incorrect first aid. What's worrying is that many people still place absolute trust in anecdotal remedies such as pricking the fingertips to draw blood, pressing the philtrum acupoint, scraping the skin, and acupuncture on the earlobes and crown of the head… while these actions have no scientific basis whatsoever."
According to Dr. Luu, all of the above methods not only fail to help patients but also delay the emergency process, potentially leading to more severe brain damage, increased risk of death, or lifelong disability.
Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability in adults. For every minute that passes without sufficient blood and oxygen supply to the brain, approximately 2 million nerve cells die. Therefore, early recognition of signs and prompt transport to a medical facility with a stroke treatment unit is crucial for survival.
