Survival over 12 years following acute stroke: initial treatment in a stroke unit vs general medical wards

Stavem K, Rønning OM. Survival over 12 years following acute stroke: initial treatment in a stroke unit vs general medical wards.
Acta Neurol Scand: 2011: 124: 429–433.
© 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Background –  Few studies have assessed the influence of the organization of stroke care on long‐term survival. Aims of the study –  To compare survival over 12 years after stroke between subjects treated in an acute stroke unit (SU) and those treated in general medical wards (GMW). Methods –  In total, 550 subjects ≥ 60 years of age with acute stroke were prospectively allocated according to date of birth (day of the month) to treatment in a SU with relatively short length of stay or GMWs. We assessed survival through a link to the register of Statistics Norway. Groups were compared using Kaplan–Meier analysis on an intention‐to‐treat basis. Results –  Of the 550 eligible subjects, 271 were allocated to a SU and 279 to GMWs. There still was no difference in mortality over 12 years between the groups ( P  = 0.15, log‐rank test) Conclusions –  An acute SU offering early treatment and rehabilitation did not offer better long‐term mortality after stroke in patients ≥60 years old than initial treatment in GMWs.