Abstract
Analysis of 224 stroke admissions during the year 1997 was performed to contribute to the international comparisons in the management of acute stroke. The analysis revealed 83% of patients with cerebral hemorrhage and 37% of those with cerebral infarction to have spent at least several days in the intensive care unit (ICU).
The mean length of the hospital stay of 12.7 days differed between men and women, while the mean length of ICU stay differed between cerebral hemorrhage and cerebral ischemia. The intervals between stroke onset and admission, and between stroke onset and computed tomography (CT) as well as the percentual employment of various diagnostic methods were evaluated in a subset of 156 cases.
Hospital admission with a median of 4 hours and management in case of hemorrhage compared relatively well with international standards, whereas in case of cerebral infarction the use of CT was found to be insufficient, also showing a delay from hospital admission. The overall mortality rate of 10.7% revealed a relatively young mean age of our cohort (61.2 years).
The expenses of stroke hospitalization of 1,390 USD were strikingly low as compared with other industrialized countries, which was mainly due to the current exchange rate.