First Aid Acronyms Explained – TIA

T – Transient

I – Ischemic

A – Attack

 An acronym is a word or name formed as an abbreviation, created from the initial letters of a phrase or a word. The first aid world uses many acronyms to help us remember different treatments. In this series we have explained the meanings of the most common first aid acronyms to help you avoid confusion!

What is a TIA?

A Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) is a brief episode of neurological dysfunction and is usually caused by a blood clot in the brain but can also be caused by air bubbles or pieces of fatty material in the blood vessels. (TIAs and strokes are often related to heart disease as furring of the arteries can result in pieces breaking off and moving around the body causing blockages in the brain)

TIAs have the same underlying mechanism as strokes, usually a blood clot, but usually last for a shorter period of time, hence the word ‘transient’ is used. Many people have had TIAs and not realised, perhaps feeling a bit of numbness around the face, arms or legs which passes in time, normally within minutes, hours or a day.

TIAs are still very serious however and immediate medical support should be sought by phoning 999 or 112 to rule out anything more serious. Sometimes (but not always) TIAs are the sign that you are at more immediate risk of a serious Stroke.

What are the signs of a TIA? – F.A.S.T

The signs of a TIA are the same as the signs of a Stroke:

• Face weakness: Can the person smile? Has their mouth or eye drooped? Can they stick their tongue out in the middle of their mouth?
• Arm weakness: Can the person raise both arms fully and keep them there? Is one arm weaker than the other?
• Speech problems: Can the person speak clearly and understand what you say? Is their speech slurred?
• Time to call 999: if you see any one of these signs. T is also knowing the Time they were last known to be OK.

A casualty does need to be showing all of these signs, just one is enough to cause concern and for you to act accordingly.

TIAs and Strokes are also not limited to older people. They can happen at any age.

First aid for TIAs and Strokes:

Check the F.A.S.T symptoms as outlined above

• Phone 999/112 immediately – tell them what you see and what time the casualty was last known to be OK
• Make the casualty comfortable, ideally lying down with their head and shoulders raised
• Reassure them whilst waiting for the ambulance to arrive

What are the Risk Factors of TIAs and Strokes

The risk of having a TIAs can be increased by a number of factors, including:

• Smoking
• High blod pressure
• High cholesterol
• Diabetes
• Excessive regular alcohol
• Obesity 
• Stress
• People over 55 years of age and people of Asian, African or Caribbean descent are also at a higher risk of having a TIA

The Stroke Association has more detailed advice and information available about Strokes and TIAs.

Get First Aid confident – get trained!

Knowing what to look for and what to do BEFORE something happens is essential and attending a first aid course will give you the knowledge to deal with many emergency incidents. Our courses are structured to give you confidence in dealing with an incident as well as the competence to do good quality first aid. Find out more about our courses on our website.

Everyone on our courses receives a FREE digital first aid manual. We have a range of manuals relevant to the courses we teach – Sports, Outdoor, First Aid at Work, Paediatric and Equestrian. They are a great resource that you can download onto your phone or other device and have all that first aid knowledge at your fingertips. You can view and buy the Manuals for less than £5 here.