Evaluation times for patients with in-hospital strokes.

Abstract

Each year at least 35,000 people suffer a stroke while hospitalized, but little is known about the clinical characteristics of such patients or how rapidly they are identified and evaluated. With a recent emphasis on the very early treatment of stroke, in-hospital stroke patients may be candidates for some early interventions.This was a retrospective study using the stroke registries at two academic medical centers. Data were collected about the clinical characteristics of patients with an in-hospital stroke and who recognized the stroke. Detailed time data were analyzed to determine the time of stroke recognition, medical evaluation, and neurological evaluation. These specific time epochs were analyzed to determine which were responsible for any delays in stroke identification and assessment. Data were analyzed using nonparametric methods, including the Wilcoxon rank sum and Kruskal-Wallis procedure.Sixty-three patients were identified with in-hospital strokes and adequate time data. In-hospital stroke p...