Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports

, Volume 3, Issue 1, pp 32–39 | Cite as

Intensive care management of ischemic stroke

  • Thanh Nguyen
  • Walter J. Koroshetz
Article

Abstract

The practice of neurointensive care was initially developed to manage postoperative neurosurgical patients and expanded thereafter to the management of patients with primary head trauma, intracranial hemorrhage, vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage, elevated intracranial pressure, and unstable pulmonary or cardiovascular medical conditions in neurologic patients. Can neurointensive care with its advanced medical and neurologic resources improve the outcome of the ischemic stroke patient? This review discusses selection of patients appropriate for admission to the neurologic intensive care unit (NICU) and current options for the intensive care management of severe ischemic stroke and its attendant complications. We propose that the NICU team is well suited to acute stroke management if they apply their advanced skills and technologic resources to manage the severe stroke patient from the time of presentation to the emergency ward. Study is needed to determine the effect that a critical care level of service has on functional outcome.

Keywords

Ischemic Stroke Stroke Patient Acute Ischemic Stroke Brain Edema Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© Current Science Inc. 2003

Authors and Affiliations

  • Thanh Nguyen
    • 1
  • Walter J. Koroshetz
    • 1
  1. 1.Stroke and Neurointensive Care Service, Massachusetts General HospitalBostonUSA

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