Abstract:

AIMThe aim of our study was to analyze the factors affecting the diagnosis, treatment, follow-up and cost of stroke patients admitted to the emergency department.METHODSIn this retrospective study we analyzed the records of 319 patients admitted Afyon Kocatepe University Medical School Emergency Department with various causes and finally diagnosed with stroke. Demographic and clinical fi ndings including the age, gender, smoking and drinking habits, neurological examination findings, general health status during admission, computerized tomography findings, stroke types, prognosis, cost, death and hospital discharge rates were studied.RESULTSStroke patients constituted 1%of the patients admitted Emergency Department. The gender distribution was approximately even (51.9% male and 49.1% female). Most of the stroke patients were over 60 years-old (63.6%). Unilateral weakness was the most frequent presenting complaint (31.1%) and 14.9% of the patients were transported with ambulance. Nearly half of the stroke victims (45.1%) arrived hospital within the first three hours of the onset of the symptoms and 84.1% of them had a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) between 14 and 15. The average GCS and sPO2 scores were statistically lower than the other patients admitting emergency department and 9.4% of them were lost. In addition, cost and death rate were higher in patients with hemorrhagic stroke.CONCLUSIONThe mortality, morbidity rates and the expenditures are higher in patients with hemorrhagic stroke. Transport of the stroke patients, as early as possible, into the emergency department with ambulances equipped with advanced medical facilities may decrease the catastrophic results of stroke.

Keywords: