Watch a stroke happen in real time—before the patient gets to your office

It’s not every day a patient presents with a video recording of their stroke happening in real time.

But that is exactly what happened to one man who inadvertently captured his stroke on video when filming his workout.

In the video, the man can be seen engaging in his workout in the gym, before experiencing signs that could indicate a stroke. He later posted the video to social media to raise awareness.

“It was an incredible video. It is incredibly helpful for the lay public to have a video of a stroke actually happening because it definitely can help people recognize the signs and symptoms of a stroke, both in others and also potentially in themselves,” Cheng-Han Chen, MD, board-certified interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, CA, tells MDLinx.  

“What you saw was facial asymmetry… asymmetrical weakness in the arms and legs. Other symptoms include having difficulty with speech, sometimes balance problems. And so anything that will help raise awareness of these types of symptoms is incredibly helpful to the public.”

Watching a stroke in real time

Sharing the video to social media alongside her own commentary, Dr. Amy Shah says the video presents an unusual opportunity.

“So he’s doing his workout, and if you watch his face, you can see it went from symmetrical to asymmetrical. There is a droop on the side of his face and that is one of the big telltale signs….The second big sign is he can’t grab his glove. That is another telltale sign. Weakness and inability to coordinate is another sign of a stroke. So now he has asymmetry, he’s weak, and he has slurred speech. You can’t hear it, but those are the three signs. If you see that in someone you love or yourself, you need to call 911 right away. Time is of the essence.”

A good reminder: Strokes can happen at any age

Some of the social media users who commented on the video expressed surprise, as the man depicted in the video appears young and physically fit. Dr. Chen says it is a good reminder that strokes can happen to anyone—regardless of age

According to the CDC, in the United States, someone has a stroke every 40 seconds. Every 3 minutes and 11 seconds, someone dies from a stroke.^[]

Early action with stroke is important. The CDC notes that patients who present to the emergency room within 3 hours of their first symptom typically have less disability three months after the stroke than those whose care was delayed.

Dr. Chen says that while a patient may be able to recount their symptom onset once arriving at the hospital, physicians rarely have the chance to see a stroke play out on video. “We basically never see this on a video. It's usually when the patient gets to us in the medical environment," he says.