[Stroke treatment with stroke unit and rehabilitation by a team. A model for a staged management]

This is a report of an interdisciplinary approach to diagnosis and treatment of stroke, combining a stroke unit and rehabilitation in one clinic. This series contains unselected patients from a narrow surrounding. Mean age of 559 patients was 68.7 years (median 70 years). 25% of patients had an initial Barthel index of < 30, 20% presented with TIA's and PRIND's. 9% suffered from cerebral hemorrhage. The unbroken chain of care allowed a relative short length of stay in the acute care (9.4 days) without prolonging the rehabilitation phase. The one month mortality was 6.7%, one year mortality 18.3%. Discharge to a nursing home was necessary in 5.4%. Overall more than 90% of our patients have been treated continuously in our clinic. Combining modern diagnostics with early onset rehabilitation seem advantageous.