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Coping with A-Fib Stroke: What Your Family Should Learn Now
Q & A: 
“In case I have an A-Fib-related stroke, what does my family need to know to help me? (I’m already on a blood thinner.)
Stroke is the most dreaded effect of having A-Fib. And an A-Fib-related stroke is usually worse because the clots tend to be larger. They often result in death or permanent disability.
Here are some basic facts and steps you and your family can take to prepare for and what to do if stroke strikes any member of your family.
Prepare a ‘Stroke Action Plan’: The 4 Steps
For your own and your family’s peace of mind, you need to create a ‘Stroke Action Plan’.
Step 1―Ask Your Doctor
Not all strokes are caused by blood clots. As an A-Fib patient, ask your doctor what immediate actions to take in case you have a stroke. Some doctors of A-Fib patients recommend giving an aspirin while waiting for the ambulance to help avoid a second ischemic stroke (A-Fib related stroke). If so, ask what dosage.
Step 2―Locate Your Nearest ‘Certified Stroke Center’
Why a Certified Stroke Center? If a stroke victim gets to a Certified Stroke Center within four hours, there is a good chance specialists can dissolve the clot without any lasting damage.
A certified or ‘Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center’ is typically the largest and best-equipped hospital in a given geographical area that can treat any kind of stroke or stroke complication.
A Certified Stroke Center will have drugs such as Tissue Plasminogen Activator (tPA) to dissolve the clot. And can use Clopidogrel or acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) to stop platelets from clumping together to form clots. Or use anticoagulants to keep existing blood clots from getting larger.
What about your workplace? Locate the nearest Certified Stroke Center to your job and post a copy at work. Carry a copy in your wallet, too.
So do your homework. To find the nearest certified or ‘Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center’ check these listings:
• Stroke Center Search by Stroke Awareness & Recovery
• Find A Certified U.S. Stroke Center Near You/NPR News
Step 3―Learn the Signs of a Stroke, and Be Prepared to Act Quickly
Make it a family affair. Discuss the most common signs of stroke: sudden weakness of the face, arm or leg, most often on one side of the body. Stroke may be associated with a headache, or may be completely painless. Each person may have different stroke warning signs.
Learn the signs of a stroke: B.E. F.A.S.T. so you can act quickly:
B – Balance Loss: Sudden dizziness or trouble walking.
E – Eye Changes: Sudden blurred or double vision.
F – Face Drooping: One side of the face is numb or drooping.
A – Arm Weakness: One arm drifts downward when raised.
S – Speech Difficulty: Slurred or hard-to-understand speech.
T – Time to Call 911: Call immediately if you see these signs.
Be prepared to act quickly and call 911: Then while waiting for the ambulance to arrive:
• Loosen any restrictive clothing that could cause breathing difficulties.
• Lay them down on their side with their head slightly raised and supported.
• Do not give them anything to eat or drink.
• Only administer aspirin in the proper dosage if advised by your doctor beforehand (to help avoid a second stroke).
Step 4―Post Your ‘Stroke Action Plan’
Write up and post this Stroke Action Plan in a handy location, along with handouts with the name and address of the nearest Certified Stroke Center (Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center) for EMS responders. If doctor recommended, keep a bottle of the proper dose of aspirin nearby.
If a Stroke Strikes
1. Immediately call your emergency medical services (EMS)―even if the person having the stroke doesn’t want you to. (e.g. 911 in US and Canada, 0000 in Australia, 999 in the UK.)
Note: DO NOT try to diagnose the problem by yourself, and DO NOT wait to see if the symptoms go away on their own.
2. While waiting for EMS, if you are connected to a hospital, tell them if you administered aspirin per doctors orders, and follow any instructions.
3. When EMS arrives, tell them to take the patient to your nearest Certified Stroke Center (give them a handout with the name and address).
Note: If necessary, be firm, insist they go to your choice of Certified Stroke Center. (Realize that some paramedics and ambulance services have side deals with hospitals to take patients to their hospitals, even if it’s not the right hospital for stroke victims.)
A ‘Stroke Action Plan’ Helps Everyone Stay Calm
A ‘Stroke Action Plan’ with specific steps is reassuring during a medical emergency and helps everyone stay calm. Your family will be confident they’re supporting you in taking the right action at the right time.
Know that quickly going to a certified or ‘Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center’ may save you from the debilitating effects of an A-Fib stroke, or even death.
For additional reading, see Ablation Reduces Stroke Risk to that of a Normal Person.
Back to FAQs: Coping with Your A-Fib
Last updated: Sunday, September 27, 2026
