Abstracts

Rationale: We have previously reported that the presence of seizures after stroke was associated with increased mortality. But limited information is available about the impact of seizures on health-resources utilization after ischemic strokes. Our aim was to assess the impact of seizures in health-resources utilization, in patients admitted to a hospital with acute ischemic stroke. Methods: This cohort study included consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke between July 2003 and March 2008 from the Registry of the Canadian Stroke Network, the largest clinical database of patients in Canada with acute stroke seen at selected acute care hospitals. A step-by-step approach with the inclusion of interaction terms using logistic regression analysis was used to determine whether the presence of seizures was associated with health-resources utilization after adjusting for other relevant demographic and clinical characteristics. Results: Amongst 10261 patients included in the study, seizures occurred in 208 (2.03%) patients with ischemic stroke. A higher number of patients with seizures were admitted to the ICU (20.7 vs. 8%, p< 0.001), although there were no differences in the number of patients admitted to the stroke unit (p=0.06). A higher number also required assessment by speech therapy (70.7 vs. 63.6%, p=0.03). No differences among the groups were found in regards to assessments done by physical (p=0.44) and occupational therapy (p=0.32). The mean length of stay was longer for those with seizures compared to those without: 25.8 ( /- 2.5) vs. 14.8 ( /- 0.2) days (p<0.001). Discharge to an long term care facility was seen in 19% of patients with seizures (vs. 10% in those without seizures, p<0.001).