[Acute therapy of ischemic stroke].

Thrombolysis was used in 3.7% of stroke patients who were admitted to the Neurological Departments of Vienna. High doses of heparin were associated with an increased risk of secondary symptomatic hemorrhage (OR 10.3; 95% CI 2.4-43.2). But none of the patients with TIA or minor stroke who received high dosages of heparin suffered from secondary symptomatic hemorrhage. Spontaneous or therapeutically induced decrease of the diastolic blood pressure by more than 20 mmHg was associated with a three-fold risk of an unfortunate functional outcome. Complications following stroke are frequent and most likely to occur within the first 5 days. Pneumonia was found to be an independent risk factor for an unfortunate functional outcome after three months. A main field of activity of stroke units should be to prevent or to early recognize and treat complications.