title: Positive impact of stroke unit establishment on patient recovery in Firoozgar hospital.
abstract: Background:Firoozgar Comprehensive Stroke Center started up as the first organized care unit in the country in 2014; this study was performed to investigate quality indicators such as reduction in mortality, morbidity and hospital stay.Methods:Two groups of ischemic stroke patients were compared. The first group had been admitted in general neurology ward (non-stroke unit patients) and the second one received specialized stroke care in the stroke unit within a period of two years (stroke unit patients). Non-stroke unit patients were selected from a pool of patients admitted two years before establishment of stroke unit. Variables compared were factors such as modified Rankin Scale (mRS), confinement days in stroke unit or Intensive Care Unit, total days of hospitalization, history of prior stroke, receiving recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) and the stroke category indicating anterior or posterior circulation infarct. Quantitative testing was conducted using independent t-test as well as "Mann-Whitney U Test"; Chi-squared test was used for qualitative testing.Results:A total number of 129 patients enrolled in the study (66 cases of non-stroke unit patients and 63 cases of stroke unit patients). The average total days of hospitalization were 17.32 (95% CI: 0.15-36.1) in non-stroke unit patients and 21.19 (95% CI: 4.99 - 38.1) in stroke unit patients (p=0.2). Results for stroke unit patients showed a lower mRS score (OR=1.48, p=0.01).Conclusion:It was concluded that stroke unit patients tend to have a better outcome and a lower mRS score at discharge. No significant difference in hospitalization period was noted between the two groups.
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor, Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, Firoozgar General Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. mehrpour.m@iums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Masoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mehrpour
authors.affiliation: Medical Student, Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, Firoozgar General Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. s_taghipourt@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Salameh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Taghipour
authors.affiliation: Medical Student, Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, Firoozgar General Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. shrabdollahi@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Sahar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abdollahi
authors.affiliation: Medical Student, Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, Firoozgar General Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. fot_6792@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Oliaee
authors.affiliation: Medical Student, Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, Firoozgar General Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. a.gouran@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Azin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goran
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor, Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, Firoozgar General Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. rmmotamed@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Mohamadreza
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Motamed
authors.affiliation: Resident of Neurology, Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, Firoozgar General Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. re.ashayeri@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Rezan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ashayeri
keywords: Modified Rankin Scale (mRS); Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator (rtPA); Stroke Unit