Pilot study of the characteristics of acute stroke events in patients discharged from the Carolina University Hospital, Puerto Rico in 2007
Document Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2009-09-01Keywords
Acute DiseaseAdult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Antilipemic Agents
Cardiovascular Agents
Counseling
Emergency Service, Hospital
Female
Hospital MortalityHospital RecordsHospitals, UniversityHumansMaleMiddle AgedPatient DischargePilot ProjectsPuerto RicoStrokeTomography, X-Ray ComputedTransportation of PatientsYoung AdultBiostatisticsEpidemiologyHealth Services Research
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BACKGROUND: Stroke is the third leading cause of death in Puerto Rico. We examined the pre-hospital phase, management and case-fatality-rates (CFR) of patients discharged with acute stroke from the Carolina University of Puerto Rico Hospital during 2007. METHODS: Trained personnel collected information on demographics, delay-time, mode-of-transportation, management, and mortality from all medical records. STATAa was utilized to conduct univariate comparison of demographics, mode-of-transportation, therapeutics and diagnostic characteristics. Logistic regression analysis assessed cohort effect and controlled for confounders. RESULTS: The average age was 69.1 years, and 53% were males. The average delay between onset of symptoms suggestive of stroke and arrival at the emergency department was 4.5 hours. Only 62% of patients utilized Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Intravenous thrombolysis was not administered. Stroke mortality increased with age. Ischemic vs. hemorrhagic CFR was significantly higher (63.9% vs. 36.10%; p = 0.034). CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the potential benefit of evidence-based therapeutics and EMS use among stroke patients.Source
Bol Asoc Med P R. 2009 Jul-Sep;101(3):11-3. Link to article on publisher's sitePermanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/47642PubMed ID
20120979Related Resources
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