Ischemic stroke in Uruguay
First 34 cases of thrombolized patients at the Clinicas Hospital
Keywords:
STROKE, THROMBOLYTIC THERAPYAbstract
Introduction: ischemic stroke is a health issue of paramount importance in Uruguay and the world. It has been proved that intravenous thrombolysis reduces morbi-mortality and sequels in patients with severe ischemic strokes (evidence level: severe ischemic stroke).
Objectives: to analyse the cases of thrombolized ischemic strokes at the Clinicas Hospital and to assess the usefulness of the risk score to predict symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage in this population.
Method: descriptive, observational and prospective study. Population: thrombolized patients at the Clinicas Hospital during the 2010-2013 period of time. A risk score to predict symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage was applied to the entire thrombolized population. Statistical tests: chi-square test, student test and Wilcoxon test. The study considered p < 0,05 reflected statistically significant differences.
Results: thirty four thrombolized patients, average age was 67 years old, most of them were women, high percentage of severe ischemic strokes, average National Institute of Health Stroke Scale value upon admittance was 11, with statistically significant improvement trends. Main etiology: cardioembolism. Average symptom-to-needle time: 170 minutes. Intracranial Hemorrhage: eight patients (23.5%), four of which died. The risk score failed to predict the intracranial hemorrhage.
Conclusions: the percentage of thrombolized ischemic strokes has been gradually increasing at the Clinicas Hospital since the Ischemic Stroke Department was open, and current national figures match the international ones. Thrombolysis resulted in a statistically significant benefit in the NIHSS scale. The hemorrhage was similar to that described in international literature.
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