[The merits of comprehensive therapy for acute stroke]

To evaluate the advantages of comprehensive therapy for acute stroke in a stroke unit.

The data of 207 acute stroke patients treated in a stroke unit in Australia (group A) were compared with those of 326 acute stroke patients treated in our neurological ward (group B). They were diagnosed by CT or MRI and found to have hemiplegia in 48 hours.

There were significant differences between group A and group B in mortality within 14 days (5.3% vs 10.4%), rate of non-cerebral causes of death (27.3% vs 64.7%) and rate of infection (17.9% vs 47.9%), P < 0.01. Moreover the scores of Europe Stroke Scale at 21 days and Modified Rankin Scale at 90 days were significantly different between the two groups (P < 0.01).

Prognosis of acute stroke patients managed by comprehensive therapy in stroke unit was superior to that treated conventionally in neurological ward.