Smart Wake-up Stroke Alert System

Abstract

Wake-up stroke refers to a kind of ischemic stroke where a person wakes up with symptoms of stroke that are not present before going to sleep. These symptoms may include muscle weakness, drowsiness, walking difficulties, face drooping among others. Risk factors for ischemic strokes are Diabetes, Hypertension, Obesity, age, tobacco use, etc. From the Statistical Findings, 8-28 percent of all brain ischemic strokes consist of Wake-up strokes. The main method of treating an ischemic stroke is tissue Plasminogen Activator (tPA), the use of which is approved for 3-4.5 hours from the onset time of stroke. As the onset time in wake-up strokes is difficult to determine, the person may not be eligible for tPA treatment. This paper presents the development of a prototype to detect the wake-up stroke using the appropriate sensors to obtain physiological data and Internet of things technology to issue an alert signal to the concerned people of the patient. In India, various factors causes the delay of the patient’s arrival to the hospital. The proposed device helps the people to take the patient to the hospital within time to reduce the risk of permanent disabilities like paralysis and memory loss.