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Diagnosing a Stroke in Florida

The symptoms of a stroke could vary as every stroke presents differently and could affect any part of the brain. Depending on what part of the brain is suffering the stroke–because the brain cells in that part of the brain are dying–it dictates what symptoms a person is having. Due to the subtle symptoms of many strokes, misdiagnosis may be a possibility. It may be important, especially depending on your age, to understand the correct diagnostic procedure if you or a loved one has experienced a stroke. A caring stroke misdiagnosis lawyer could help with explaining the proper process of diagnosing a stroke in Palm Beach Gardens, and help you get what you deserve if there was medical malpractice.

Common Symptoms of a Stroke

The most common symptoms of a stroke are:

Slurred speech
Using the wrong word
Drooping face
Not being able to move one side of the body
Headache
Dizziness
Confusion

Anyone of these symptoms could be present but may depend upon where in the brain a stroke is occurring.

Process of Diagnosing a Stroke

A stroke diagnosis could come from a number of different outlets, but could mainly come from a medical physician. If someone is brought to an emergency room, the emergency room doctor could do the initial triage and may be the key player in diagnosing a stroke in Palm Beach Gardens.

The process that doctors could take to provide an accurate stroke diagnosis includes assessing any patient with an altered mental status with the appropriate steps to rule out stroke. If a person is having a stroke, there are immediate actions that could be taken, when the treatment is not timely is when it fits a medical malpractice case.

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Components of a Stroke Diagnosis

The first steps following a stroke diagnosis would be the neurological examination of the patient. That involves:

Saying a specific phrase
Asking to follow the direction of one’s hand
Raising both arms together
Touching a finger to the nose

All of these points may be used to assess motor and brain functioning.

CT-Scans

A CT-Scan may be the main way a stroke could be diagnosed, as laboratory often have no stake in diagnosing a stroke in Palm Beach Gardens since there are no lab tests that could be done for a stroke. The CT-scan could show several things. If it shows nothing and the person is having some neurological symptoms, the doctor is supposed to get a CTA, which is a CT-scan where there is contrast involved. Early ischemic strokes, which are the type of stroke with a blood clot, may not show up on a CT-scan but could be on a CTA.

If the ischemic stroke shows up on the CT-scan, it means that the stroke may have happened several hours ago. The individual has to figure out if they are still within the window for treatment. If it’s a hemorrhagic stroke, which is where there is bleeding in the brain, it could show up right away.

Factors to Consider When Diagnosing a Palm Beach Gardens Stroke

The factors a doctor could consider when assessing an outpatient in a stroke diagnosis is what type of stroke are they having. This may be done by asking whether a patient is having a hemorrhagic stroke or an ischemic stroke. These diagnoses may need to be given quickly as certain medications or procedures may need to be administered to help a patient.

If you or your loved one has endured a stroke and feel that a diagnosis was handled incorrectly, you could better understand the procedure by speaking with an attorney in regards to diagnosing a stroke in Palm Beach Gardens.