Browsing by Subject "teho-osastot"

Background and purpose: Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide, but studies on the cost-effectiveness of intensive care are lacking. We aimed to evaluate the one-year costs and outcomes of patients with AIS treated in the intensive care unit (ICU). Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective study of patients admitted to an academic ICU with AIS between 2003 and 2013. True healthcare expenditure was obtained up to one year after admission. Patient outcome was 12-month functional outcome and mortality. We used multivariate logistic regression analysis to identify independent predictors of favorable outcomes and linear regression analysis to assess factors associated with costs. We calculated the effective cost per survivor (ECPS) and effective cost per favorable outcome (ECPFO). Results: The study population comprised 154 patients. ICU admission was mostly due to decreased consciousness level (47%) and need for respiratory support (40%). There were 68 (44%) one year survivors, of which 27 (18%) had a favorable outcome. High age (odds ratio [OR] 0.95, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.91–0.98) and high hospital admission National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score (OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.87–0.97) were independent predictors of poor outcomes. Increased age had a cost ratio of 0.98 (95% CI 0.97–0.99) per added year. The ECPS and ECPFO were 115,628€ and 291,210€ respectively. Conclusions: Treatment of AIS in the ICU appears costly, and the outcome is often poor. Further research is required to improve the cost-effectiveness of ICU care for AIS patients.