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Acute medical complications in patients admitted to a stroke unit and safe transfer to rehabilitation

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Abstract

Acute medical complications often prevent patients with stroke from being transferred from stroke units to rehabilitation units, prolonging the occupation of hospital beds and delaying the start of intensive rehabilitation. This study defined incidence, timing, duration and risk factors of these complications during the acute phase of stroke. A retrospective case note review was made of hospital admissions of patients with stroke not associated with other disabling conditions, admitted to a stroke unit over 12 months and requiring rehabilitation for gait impairment. In this cohort, a search was made of hypertension, oxygen de-saturation, fever, and cardiac and pulmonary symptoms requiring medical intervention. Included were 135 patients. Hypertension was the most common complication (16.3%), followed by heart disease (14.8%), oxygen de-saturation (7.4%), fever (6.7%) and pulmonary disease (5.2%). Heart disease was the earliest and shortest complication. Most complications occurred during the first week. Except for hypertension, all complications resolved within 2 weeks.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department, S. Gerardo Hospital, Monza, Italy

    Donatella Bonaiuti & Paolo Sioli

  2. Department of Neurosciences, San Gerardo Hospital, Monza, Italy

    Lorenzo Fumagalli

  3. Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche “Mario Negri”, Via G. la Masa 19, 20156, Milan, Italy

    Ettore Beghi

  4. Department of Neurosciences, Manzoni Hospital, Lecco, Italy

    Elio Agostoni

Authors
  1. Donatella Bonaiuti
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  2. Paolo Sioli
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  3. Lorenzo Fumagalli
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  4. Ettore Beghi
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  5. Elio Agostoni
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ettore Beghi.

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Bonaiuti, D., Sioli, P., Fumagalli, L. et al. Acute medical complications in patients admitted to a stroke unit and safe transfer to rehabilitation. Neurol Sci 32, 619–623 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-011-0588-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-011-0588-2

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