The Cardiovascular
ToolsCalculators

Field Assessment Stroke Triage for Emergency Destination (FAST-ED)

Prehospital screen for large-vessel-occlusion stroke.

Field Assessment Stroke Triage for Emergency Destination (FAST-ED)
Facial palsy
Arm weakness
Speech changes
Eye deviation
Denial / neglect
Result0 points

Score <4 makes large-vessel occlusion less likely; transport per standard stroke protocol.

FAST-ED score (0-9)
0

When to use

  • Prehospital triage of suspected acute ischaemic stroke to identify likely large-vessel occlusion.

Formula

Sum of facial palsy (0-1), arm weakness (0-2), speech changes (0-2), eye deviation (0-2), and denial/neglect (0-2). Range 0-9; >=4 suggests LVO.

Pearls and pitfalls

  • Designed for use by prehospital providers; a cut-off of >=4 optimises sensitivity and specificity for LVO.

References

  1. Lima FO, et al. Stroke. 2016;47(8):1997-2002.