Wernicke’s Aphasia Caught On Tape?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I82tMENJ8cw&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Updated: CBS pulled the youTube video, but you can still see it here.

Some people are speculating that she suffered a stroke on-air. Since the symptoms were transient, I’d be more likely to call it a TIA, or perhaps some type of seizure.

The story says a coworker drove her home as a precautionary measure after paramedics on scene checked her out.

The proper precautionary measure would have been a safe, comfortable BLS ambulance ride to the Emergency Department for a CT scan and a neurological workup. Whoever the medic was that let her refuse transport, I can only hope he tried hard to convince her to go, and documented accordingly.

Update 2-18-2011:
Doctors and patient are saying it was a complex migraine. And while it wasn’t a stroke, it still doesn’t rule out a TIA. Early CT scans of acute ischemic stroke are essentially normal, and especially so with the transient symptoms of a TIA. Without more sophisticated imaging than a CT scan (the report only says she had “blood tests and a brain scan”), there’s no way to definitively say it wasn’t a TIA.

I’m happy Serene Branson’s symptoms weren’t a harbinger of a more serious condition, but I must stress: If you or a loved one ever experience such symptoms, seek medical care immediately. Call 911.

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