Cincinnati stroke scale

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Sadaf Sharfaei M.D.[2]

Overview

The Cincinnati Stroke Scale is a scale used to diagnose the presence of a stroke in a patient. It tests three signs including facial droop, arm drift, and speech to find if patient is having a stroke and need more investigation. If any of the three tests shows abnormal findings, the patient may be having a stroke and should be transported to a hospital as soon as possible.

Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale

Calculation of the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale

The Cincinnati Stroke Scale is a scale used to diagnose the presence of a stroke in a patient. It tests three signs including facial droop, arm drift, and speech to find if patient is having a stroke and need more investigation.

Check all boxes that apply to your patient:

Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale
Sign	Examination	Result
Facial droop	Have the person smile or show his or her teeth	Normal: Both sides of the face move equally
		Abnormal: One side of face does not move as well as the other (or at all)
Arm drift	Have the person close his or her eyes and hold his or her arms straight out in front for about 10 seconds	Normal: Both arms move equally or not at all
		Abnormal: One arm does not move, or one arm drifts down compared with the other side
Speech	Have the person say, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks," or some other simple, familiar saying	Normal: Patient uses correct words with no slurring
		Abnormal: Slurred or inappropriate words or mute
Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale:
Interpretation:

Interpretation of the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale

If any of the three tests shows abnormal findings, the patient may be having a stroke and should be transported to a hospital as soon as possible.