Abstract
The present paper describes the situation of the utilization of Stroke Care Unit (SCU) in our hospital in 1982, two years after the establishment of Department of Neurosurgery.
There are four beds for SCU, but practically patients with diseases other than cerebral stroke who requires intensive care, have been admitted to SCU. Thus the name of Neurosurgical Care Unit may be a more appropriate term. The total number of patients admitted to SCU in a year was 135.
Of these 135 patients, 39 were cases of intracerebral hematoma, 36 were cerebral aneurysm, and 26 were cerebral infarction. One hundred and five out of 135 cases(84%)were cerebral apoplexy. The remaining patients were 15 cases of brain tumor and 15 cases of head injury. There were 77 male and 58 female patients. The number of patients over 50 was 97 cases because of high incidence of apoplexy.
Most patients were transferred to our hospital from all Southern Hokkaido areas including Kitahiyama Township, from where it took two hours for transfer of patients by ambulance. The remaining 42% of patients were transferred from Hakodate City, which is close to our hospital.
The number of patients referred to us from other clinics was 95 cases(70%), including 55 cases admitted to SCU after emergency operation. This fact means that our Department has been referred as the third emergency faciliy for Neurosurgery in Southern Hokkaido area.
According to our records, 106 cases were admitted to SCU after operation. The time of admission was usually between noon and 11 p. m. and the duration of admission was within one week in the majority of cases, but some patients stayed there for three weeks. The number of cases hospitalized for more than six months due to the sequelae, such as disturbances of consciousness, hemiparesis, and aphasia, was 47. One reason for this is that our Department takes care not only of cerebral apoplexy surgically, but also gives medical therapy to our patients, and we manage the patients in the acute stage and at chronic stage including rehabilitation as well. In terms of prognosis, 30% returned to social activities and 3696 died. The causes for death were complications at the chronic stage
