In-hospital strokes account for roughly 4 percent to 17 percent of this type of medical emergency. In a recent study, researchers examined the differences in care and outcomes for in-hospital versus community-onset strokes.
The study — published in the November issue of The Hospitalist — followed 973 in-hospital and 28,837 community-onset stroke patients during a period of nine years in all regional stroke centers in Ontario, Canada.
Highlighted below are three findings from the study.
1. Compared to community-onset stroke patients, in-hospital stroke patients experienced longer times to confirm neuroimaging, lower use of thrombolysis, lower use of investigational tests and longer length of stay.
2. Although both patient cohorts had similar mortality outcomes after discharge at 30 days and one year, in-hospital stroke patients were more likely to be disabled or to have died before discharge.
3. However, in-hospital stroke patients were more likely to be given the proper medications for secondary prevention at discharge.
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