Predictors of mortality in stroke patients admitted to an intensive care unit

Abstract

Improved pathophysiologic insight and prognostic information regarding in-hospital risk of mortality among stroke patients admitted to an intensive care unit. Retrospective analysis. Neurology/neurosurgery intensive care unit in a tertiary care university medical center. A total of 63 consecutive ischemic stroke patients. Patients were classified according to in-hospital mortality. Charts were reviewed to retrospectively generate an admitting Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score. The APACHE II score and its individual components were assessed for predicting subsequent death. Of 63 patients, 13 died and 50 survived to either discharge or surgical intervention. The mean admitting APACHE II score of survivors (6.9) was lower than that of patients who died (17.2; p Several features of the APACHE II score are associated with risk of death in this patient population. The findings suggest particular physiologic derangements that are associated with, and may contribute to, increased mortality in critically ill patients with acute ischemic stroke.