This course is intended to introduce the FAST-VAN Stroke Assessment adopted for use in Southwest Michigan Region 5. This assessment builds upon the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale (CPSS) which has long been successfully used to screen for strokes in the prehospital setting. We will continue to use the CPSS as the initial part of a new 2-part process and begin referring to the CPSS as "FAST" in reference to the components of the CPSS: Face, Arm, Speech, Time. We will now be adding an additional compoent to our stroke assessment called the VAN Stroke Screen, a tool used to screen for a sub-set of the most severe strokes known as large vessel occlusions (LVO). We believe the use of this new stroke assessment tool will help EMS practitioners quickly identify patients having strokes, in general, but especially those having LVO strokes. Early identification of LVO strokes may include bypassing closer hospitals to take the patient directly to a facility with specialized neuro-interventional capabilities based on local medical control authority protocols and/or direct medical control consultation. It also can be used to alert the receiving emergency department to allow them to better prepare to receive and care for the patient.
