Městská nemocnice Ostrava launches stroke awareness campaign

Městská nemocnice Ostrava (MNO) has released an educational video featuring three young girls to mark World Stroke Day. The campaign uses the FAST acronym to teach the public how to recognize symptoms: Face (drooping corner of the mouth), Arm (sudden weakness), Speech (difficulty speaking), and Time (the need to call emergency services immediately).

Matúš Palenčík, head physician of the MNO stroke center, emphasized that every minute is critical because brain cells die as the stroke progresses. He noted that patients often make the mistake of waiting to see if symptoms subside or calling relatives instead of emergency services. Calling 155 directly allows medical teams to prepare for immediate treatment.

Last year, the MNO stroke center treated 524 patients. Of these, 129 received intravenous thrombolysis to dissolve blood clots, and 24 underwent mechanical thrombectomy. The youngest patient treated at the center was 32 years old.