title: Neurologic and non-neurologic predictors of mortality in ischemic stroke patients admitted to the intensive care unit.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Patients with severe strokes may have different associated medical comorbidities from those with mild strokes. This study evaluated the neurologic and non-neurologic medical predictors of mortality in patients with severe cerebral infarction in the acute stage.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients admitted to a neurologic intensive care unit (ICU) due to cerebral infarction were included. Neurologic and non-neurologic predictors for in-unit mortality were determined by logistic regression analyses. Two models using (A) neurologic factors and (B) combined neurologic and non-neurologic factors as mortality predictors were developed. The performance of the models in predicting overall, neurologic and non-neurologic mortalities was compared by areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curves (AUC) of the derived regressive equations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 231 patients with cerebral infarction admitted to the ICU, 34 (14.7%) died during ICU stay. Conscious state and acute physiologic abnormalities were significant predictors of mortality. The length of ICU stay in patients with non-neurologic mortality was longer than in those with neurologic mortality (p = 0.044). The AUC of Model B was larger than that of Model A in predicting overall (0.768 +/- 0.045 vs. 0.863 +/- 0.033, p = 0.005) and non-neurologic mortalities (0.570 +/- 0.073 vs. 0.707 +/- 0.074, p = 0.009), while there was no difference in predicting death from neurologic causes (0.858 +/- 0.044 vs. 0.880 +/- 0.032, p = 0.217).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Impaired consciousness and acute physiologic abnormalities are independent predictors of mortality for severe ischemic stroke during the acute stage. Neurologic factors predict early mortality from intrinsic cerebral dysfunction, while non-neurologic factors, especially the associated physiologic abnormalities, predict late mortality from medical complications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Min-Yu
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Lan
authors.forename: Shu-Ju
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Yung-Yee
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Wei-Hsi
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Shung-Lon
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Jia-Shou
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020521:Stroke / Q000401:mortality*