How to distinguish between stroke and sudden death

Doctor, can stroke cause sudden death? In many cases, stroke patients are still saved after a few hours of transfer to the hospital. So are stroke and sudden death the same or different? (Le Vinh Thanh, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City)

Associate Professor, PhD, Doctor Nguyen Huy Thang - Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City Stroke Association, advises:

Sudden death may come from the terms “Sudden cardiac death” or “Sudden cardiac arrest”. The common presentation is a patient who appears to be normal suddenly collapses due toheartsudden cardiac arrest. The patient may die within minutes if not treated promptly.

The cause of sudden death is often a blockage of the blood vessels that supply the heart (coronary arteries) or a heart rhythm disorder.

Stroke comes from the term “Stroke”, or previously used for cerebrovascular accident. In fact, stroke includes ischemic stroke and cerebral hemorrhage. However, foreign documents use the word “stroke” to mean ischemic stroke.

A stroke patient was transferred to the mainland by helicopter for emergency treatment. Photo: Military Hospital 175.

A stroke is caused by a sudden blockage of blood vessels in the brain. As a result, brain cells nourished by the blocked blood vessels gradually die, leading to loss of neurological function. At that time, the patient will show symptoms such as paralysis of one arm and leg, slurred speech, crooked mouth, etc.

When large blood vessels are blocked, over time, the large number of dead brain cells can lead to edema, affecting consciousness and coma.

More serious and time-consuming is the phenomenon of compression, causing brain herniation, affecting the brain stem. This is considered the "commander-in-chief" of the circulatory and respiratory systems. At that point, a stroke can cause the patient to die.

So, there are two important differences between stroke and sudden death.

First, more than 90% of stroke cases begin with “FAST” symptoms: hemiplegia, facial drooping, and slurred speech.

Second, sudden death can cause death within minutes, while stroke does not cause death in the first hours, but usually after several days.

Early detection of stroke through the FAST rule

According to Dr. Nguyen Ba Thang - Head of the Stroke Unit, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, to detect a stroke early, it is necessary to rely on the initial signs according to the FAST rule.

F - Face (facial paralysis): The patient may have paralysis on one side of the face with a crooked mouth and deviated philtrum, most evident when opening the mouth or smiling.

A - Arm (arm paralysis): The patient has difficulty moving or cannot move one arm or limb on one side of the body. When asking the patient to raise both arms, one side cannot be raised or cannot be held.

S - Speech: The patient has difficulty speaking, has unclear pronunciation, slurs words, speaks with an unusual lisp, or does not understand speech.

T - Time: Make the most of the time to call an ambulance immediately to take the patient to the hospital for timely emergency care.

In addition, you can remember: "Distorted smile, slurred speech, limp - Call an ambulance, go now, don't wait".