Mortality study of patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage at University hospitals and their affiliated hospitals in Japan.

This study was undertaken to examine the differences in aneurysm statistics between University hospitals where subacute or chronic patients are primarily treated and University-affiliated hospitals where both acute and chronic cases are also admitted. In each hospital group, the transition of the statistics in the last decade was studied. The purpose of this study was also to see if any conclusion could be drawn regarding the surgical treatment of acute cases. The death rate for all aneurysm cases admitted is 8% at University hospitals, whilst that at affiliated hospitals is roughly 30% during the 1970s. The operative death rate at the University hospitals is 3%, whilst that at affiliated hospitals is 16% which improved at one affiliated hospital to 8% in the 1980-1981 period. Morbidity also improved in the latest series in the affiliated hospital. These improvements are considered to be de to the change of operative and postoperative policies for acute cases to: limited surgical indications for grade IV patients, extensive cisternal clot removal at the time of surgery, and oral administration of Ticlopidine, a new antiplatelet agent.