A Foreigner’s Casual Walk Turned Into a Deadly Emergency

Source: OT-Team(G), 南通市第二人民医院

A recent health scare involving a foreign executive in Jiangsu highlights the urgency of recognizing stroke symptoms. Hoping his close call can help others, Mr. Y is sharing his story to raise public awareness about the early signs of stroke.

A senior foreign executive at a multinational company in Jiangsu, identified only as Mr. Y, narrowly escaped a life-threatening medical emergency during a routine outdoor walk. Without warning, he felt his left side weaken and nearly collapsed. Though he had no other symptoms, years of health awareness told him something was seriously wrong. He immediately phoned a colleague for help—triggering a race against time.

Mr. Y was rushed to the emergency department of a local hospital. Based on his sudden symptoms and a known history of high blood pressure, the experienced medical team immediately activated the hospital's fast-track stroke response system.

By 20:35, just eight minutes after he arrived, a head CT scan had already been completed. It showed no intracranial bleeding—critical news that kept lifesaving options open. Meanwhile, his blood pressure was dangerously high at 190/114 mmHg. Doctors quickly administered nicardipine to bring it down to a safer level of 151/94 mmHg.

After confirming he had no contraindications—and with consent from him and his wife—the team proceeded with intravenous thrombolysis at exactly 21:00. The entire "door-to-needle" time was only 33 minutes, far faster than the international standard of 60 minutes, giving Mr. Y a crucial head start in treatment.

About an hour after the medication was given, strength started returning to the left side of his body. His blood pressure stabilized at 165/95 mmHg, and his stroke symptoms improved significantly. It seemed the first battle had been won.

But the danger was far from over.

At 22:26, roughly an hour and a half after the initial treatment, his condition suddenly worsened. Weakness in his left limbs intensified—his left arm could barely lift off the bed, and his left leg could not lift at all.

It was a red-flag moment. Such changes can signal re-blockage of the vessel, worsening ischemia, or bleeding.

"Repeat the CT scan—now!" the team ordered without hesitation. The results came back quickly: no bleeding. This ruled out the most feared complication after thrombolysis.

Doctors concluded that Mr. Y was suffering from an internal capsule posterior limb infarction, a type of stroke affecting a key nerve-fiber pathway in the brain. Damage in this area often leads to severe motor and sensory deficits, and a pattern of "initial improvement followed by sudden worsening" is not uncommon in such cases.

Acting decisively, the team began treatment with tirofiban, an antiplatelet medication. "There is some bleeding risk with this drug," recalled Dr. Zhang Lingling, "but the patient's family cooperated fully, and we moved forward."

The decision paid off. By the next morning, Mr. Y's symptoms had markedly improved.

He has since made a full recovery and has been discharged from the hospital. Mr. Y hopes that sharing his experience will raise public awareness about recognizing stroke symptoms early.

Doctors emphasize that identifying early warning signs is the first—and most essential—step to saving a life. They urge the public to remember the internationally recognized FAST rule:

1.F — Face drooping: Check if one side of the face droops or if the smile is uneven.

2.A — Arm weakness: Ask the person to raise both arms; see if one drifts downward.

3.S — Speech difficulty: Check for slurred speech or trouble understanding or expressing words.

4.T — Time to call emergency services: If any of these signs appear, call 120 immediately and get the person to a stroke-capable hospital without delay.