Prognosis of acute stroke patients monitored in neurological intensive care unit

Introduction: Stroke is the second most common cause of death in the world. Identifying the factors that influence stroke prognosis in advance is important to take the necessary precautions and improve the patient’s chances of survival. Aim: We investigated the clinical and laboratory parameters that predict mortality and prognosis in patients with acute stroke in a neurological intensive care unit (ICU). Materials and methods: A total of 219 adult acute stroke patients who were admitted to the neurological ICU over two years were included in the study. Each patient’s coma score was determined using the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) from day one to day 12. The patients’ clinical parameters, laboratory and brain scans results were recorded. On day 12, the characteristics of patients still alive and those who had died by that time were compared. Results: One hundred and forty-three of the patients died within 12 days of the stroke. In patients who died, fasting blood glucose, hemoglobin, blood urea, blood creatinine and triglyceride levels measured on the first day were higher than in patients who survived (p<0.05) and GCS calculated from the moment of hospitalization to day 11 was significantly lower (p<0.05). There was a negative correlation between GCS and laboratory parameters including fasting blood glucose, blood urea, triglycerides, leukocytes, and fibrinogen. Conclusion: We found a 65% mortality rate in patients with acute stroke. We demonstrated that the severity of the initial neurological condition is one of the most important poor prognostic factors, and abnormal laboratory parameters should be carefully monitored in patients because of their negative impact on short-term stroke prognosis.