Impact of stroke unit in a public hospital on length of hospitalization and rate of early mortality of ischemic stroke patients.

UNLABELLED: We ascertained whether a public health stroke unit reduces the length of hospitalization, the rate of inpatient fatality, and the mortality rate 30 days after the stroke.
METHODS: We compared a cohort of stroke patients managed on a general neurology/medical ward with a similar cohort of stroke patients managed in a stroke unit. The in-patient fatality rates and 30-day mortality rates were analyzed.
RESULTS: 729 patients were managed in the general ward and 344 were treated at a comprehensive stroke unit. The in-patient fatality rates were 14.7% for the general ward group and 6.9% for the stroke unit group (p<0.001). The overall mortality rate 30 days after stroke was 20.9% for general ward patients and 14.2% for stroke unit patients (p=0.005).
CONCLUSIONS: We observed reduced in-patient fatalities and 30-day mortality rates in patients managed in the stroke unit. There was no impact on the length of hospitalization.