Are You Stroke Savvy?

“We’re looking at people’s risk for stroke and heart attack by doing a basic quiz,” explains Pamela Nye, the stroke coordinator and clinical nurse specialist for neuroscience at UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica. Pamela is volunteering at the Santa Monica Health Fair. “I’m checking heart rates, and we’re doing atrial fibrillation checks. So far, I’ve picked up a few irregular heart rates, but no atrial fibrillation , thankfully. Atrial fibrillation is silent until someone has an episode where it’s not silent. It increases your stroke risk times six, so it’s very important to discuss with your doctor and make sure you don’t have it. We’re out here today to help the community understand and recognize a stroke.”