Congress in Antalya aims to ensure stroke symptoms are recognized at home

At a congress organized by the Emergency Medicine Foundation of Turkey in the Kemer district of Antalya, a consensus report prepared on pre-hospital care for stroke patients was shared, and it was stated that the aim is to ensure stroke symptoms are recognized at home for early intervention.

Speaking at the congress organized by the Emergency Medicine Foundation of Turkey at a hotel in Antalya's Kemer district, Dr. Tayfur stated that the consensus report prepared regarding the pre-hospital care of stroke patients will be shared with the scientific world. Tayfur, who is also a faculty member at the Emergency Medicine Clinic of Health Sciences University Istanbul Şehit Prof. Dr. İlhan Varank Sancaktepe Training and Research Hospital, noted that the report aims to transport stroke patients to the appropriate healthcare facility at the right time and to improve pre-hospital care.

Stating that early symptoms of a stroke include speech disorders, loss of strength in an arm or leg, loss of balance, and facial asymmetry, Tayfur emphasized that it is especially important for patient relatives to recognize these symptoms. Drawing attention to the fact that symptoms observed in the elderly can be mistaken for fatigue or conditions related to old age, Tayfur warned that a lost period of 3 to 4 hours could lead to irreversible consequences for the patient or even death. He stated that when symptoms are observed, the 112 Emergency Call Center must be notified without wasting time and the patient should be transported to a center with appropriate treatment facilities.

Conveying that rather than replacing physicians in emergency health services, they expect artificial intelligence to support decision-making and patient evaluation processes, Tayfur explained that unmanned aerial vehicles and image processing technologies could be used in disaster zones to identify the injured and in triage processes. He also stated that the effects of climate change on health services were discussed at the congress and that the Emergency Medicine Foundation of Turkey is conducting a scientific study on the impact of heatwaves on healthcare facilities.