Stroke Symptoms Check: Step-by-Step BE‑FAST
A step-by-step check of stroke signs for whoever is with the person: balance, eyes, face, arms, and speech. The tool keeps track of when the person was last seen normal and shows what to do until the ambulance arrives.
How to check
When the person was last seen normal.
Each step is one question; any step can be skipped.
If any sign is present, call right away — do not wait until the end.
Check five signs, note the time, and call for help
BE-FAST check
Call right away, without checking, if the person:
- is unconscious or does not respond
- is not breathing normally or is having a seizure
- complains of a sudden, severe headache
Time
When was the person last seen normal?
This is the doctor’s first question, and twenty minutes from now it will be hard to remember.
Features
What you can do
- Check the signs of a stroke using BE-FAST
- Call emergency services at your country’s number
- Record the time the person was last normal
- See facial asymmetry through mirrored face halves
- Show the crew the time and signs in large type
- Learn what to do until the ambulance arrives and what not to do
Why BE-FAST and not FAST
FAST — face, arm, speech, time — is the classic poster mnemonic; in the US, many stroke centers now promote the extended BE FAST. FAST is built around signs of damage to the brain’s anterior circulation and is nearly blind to the posterior circulation. In a 2024 retrospective study, 39.1% of posterior circulation strokes would not have been recognized by FAST, and sensitivity in that group was 58.7% versus 97.8% for BE-FAST. The difference is two letters: sudden loss of balance and sudden vision trouble. A person with severe dizziness and double vision whose face is symmetrical gets “not a stroke” from the poster and lies down to rest. The downside is more false alarms. For a bystander that is the right trade-off: a false call costs an ambulance ride, a missed stroke costs a disability. BE-FAST is harder to remember than FAST, so the tool walks you through it step by step — you do not need to remember the mnemonic.
Frequently asked questions
What are the first signs of a stroke?
Sudden ones: dizziness and unsteadiness, double vision or loss of part of the vision, a drooping corner of the mouth, weakness or numbness of an arm or leg on one side, slurred speech or trouble understanding words, a sudden severe headache. The key word is sudden. A single sign like this is enough to call emergency services.
What should I do for a stroke before the ambulance arrives?
Call emergency services and give the time the person was last seen normal. Lay them down with the head raised; if they vomit, turn them on their side; loosen tight clothing; do not leave them alone. Do not give pills, food, or water. Get their list of medications ready and open the door for the crew.
Why shouldn’t I give aspirin?
About one in six strokes is a hemorrhage, not a blockage. Aspirin thins the blood and makes a hemorrhage worse. There is no way to tell one from the other without a brain scan, so no medications before the hospital — including the person’s usual blood pressure pills.
What does “last seen normal” mean?
The moment when it is known for sure that the person was fine; doctors call it “last known well.” Treatment options are counted from it: thrombolysis up to about 4.5 hours, in some cases up to 9 based on imaging, and thrombectomy up to 24 hours when the picture fits. If the person woke up with symptoms, the starting point is when they were last seen well the evening before.
What if the time window has already passed?
Call anyway. The windows are guidelines, not a cutoff: the decision is made by a doctor based on the scan. Even outside the thrombolysis window, care does not come down to that alone: there is thrombectomy, blood pressure control, and protection against a second stroke in the hours that follow.
Can a stroke happen without a drooping face?
Yes, regularly. A posterior circulation stroke starts with sudden dizziness, unsteadiness, double vision, and sometimes vomiting and hiccups. The face is symmetrical, speech is clear, the arms hold up. That is why there are five signs here, and balance and vision are asked first.
How much can I trust the camera face check?
It does not give a verdict. It builds two mirrored portraits from the halves of the face, which makes a noticeable difference between them easier to see. Every healthy face has slightly different halves, so look for a drooping corner of the mouth or eyelid and compare with how the person usually looks.
What does the phone arm check show?
An arm drifting down over ten seconds: the sensor sees how far the phone on the palm tilts. What matters is the difference between the arms, not both getting tired. This is a hint, not a medical measurement: if in doubt, trust your eyes. A shaky recording is marked as unusable rather than “normal.”
How is a stroke different from a mini-stroke?
A transient ischemic attack has the same symptoms, but they go away on their own, usually within an hour. At the moment it happens, the two cannot be told apart, so treat it as a stroke. Symptoms that have passed are a reason to see a doctor the same day: the risk of a stroke in the next two days is high.
Is the emergency number shown correct?
The number is filled in based on the country detected from your internet connection. Check the country next to the button and change it if needed. For example, it is 911 in the US and 999 or 112 in the UK; 112 works across the European Union and from a mobile phone in many other countries.
Does this replace a doctor?
No. It is a way not to miss the signs and not to lose time, not a diagnosis. A stroke is diagnosed with a brain scan. The tool reduces the chance that you decide to wait until morning.
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