A 62-year-old woman presents with sudden onset of difficulty speaking and right-sided weakness. On examination, she is aphasic and has right-sided neglect. What is your primary concern and what would be the next step?
This patient's symptoms suggest a left hemisphere stroke, likely an ischemic stroke. The immediate step is to stabilize the patient, perform a rapid neurologic assessment using the NIH Stroke Scale, and obtain a noncontrast CT scan of the head to confirm the diagnosis.