Stroke Trials Registry

Admitting acute ischemic stroke patients to a stroke care monitoring unit versus a conventional stroke unit.

Principal Investigator
Geert Sulter, M.D.

PI Address
Department of Neurology
Academisch Ziekenhuis Groningen
Hanzeplein 1, 9713 GZ Groningen
Netherlands

Contact Email
g.a.sulter@neuro.azg.nl

Sponsor

Trial Phase:	Phase I
Study Size Actual:	54
Centers Actual:	1
Max Time from onset:	24 Hours
Max Age:	80
Min Age:	18
Follow-up Duration:	3 Months

Status:
Trial complete. Results published March of 2003.

Purpose:
To examine whether intensive monitoring of acute stroke patients further reduces poor outcome and mortality of patients admited to organized stroke care units.

Interventions:

Stroke Units

Location(s):
The Netherlands.

Year Started: 2001

Year Finished: 2002

Year Published: 2003

Design:
Patients were stratified for stroke subtype and randomly assigned to either the stroke-care monitoring unit or a conventional stroke unit.

Inclusion Criteria
Patients with acute ischemic stroke in the carotid artery were eligible if they were between 18 and 80 years old, concious, symptoms started within 24 hours of admission, they were ineligible for intravenous thrombolysis and there was hemiparesis, with the affected outstretched arm unable to hold a 90 degree position for 10 seconds.

Exclusion Criteria
Patients were not included if they had had a previous stroke with residual neurological impairment, had any previous disorder interfering with neurological or functional assessments, had a life-threatening concurrent illness or had been previously treated with intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator.

Patient Involvement:
Patients were randomized into a stroke-care monitoring unit (SCMU) or a conventional stroke unit (SU). All patients were treated in a similar way and strategies to treat complications were identical in both groups. SCMU patients were monitored continuously for 48 hours and moved to a conventional SU for further treatment.

Primary Outcome:
Poor outcome with a modified Rankin scale score greater than or equal to 4 or a Barthel Index less than 60, need for institutional care due to stroke, or mortality.

Results:
There was a statistically significant reduction in mortality (P=.05) for patients admitted to the SCMU and suggests acute ischemic stroke patients admitted to an SCMU may reduce mortality and poor outcome.

Source of Information:
Stroke. 2003;34:101-104

Web Links and Publications:

Admitting Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients to a Stroke Care Monitoring Unit Versus a Conventional Stroke Unit A Randomized Pilot Study
Stroke

This information last updated on: 7/16/2008

Reviewed on: 10/19/2009.

UID: 290