The Current Status and Problem of Stroke Care Unit for the Treatment of Neurosurgery Patient

Abstract

Summary:A stroke care unit (SCU) was established in Nagasaki University Hospital in June 2008, and comprehensive stroke care, together with a neurologist, neurosurgeon, dentist, physiotherapist, nurse and case worker, started. Totally, 236 patients, 143 males and 93 females aged from 1 to 97 years old (mean 63.3 years), were treated in SCU over a period of 12 months. The diagnostic category treated in SCU was cerebral infarction in 89 patients, cerebral hemorrhage in 71 patients and subarachnoid hemorrhage in 31 patients. In addition to stroke patients, patients with epilepsy or head injury and patients requiring neurological surgery were also treated in SCU. Advanced acute rehabilitation was applied to 160 patients. Dysphasia was evaluated by the dentist, and 87 patients were received dysphasia management. The hospital stay was shortened from 28 days to 22. An SCU is useful for the treatment of stroke patients as well as neurosurgical patients.

Stroke Care Units Versus General Medical Wards for Acute Management of Stroke in Japan

“…Several studies based on a single study center reported reduced mortality and improved prognosis on comparing the periods before and after implementation of this new treatment ward. 12,13 One multicenter study also reported improvements in the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) 3 months after onset, but this study did not observe decreases in 28-day or 3-month mortality.…”