Coma of vascular aetiology: evaluation and prognosis

The authors have done a revision of 450 patients admitted during the last 3 years to the emergency service of the Hospital de S. José with the diagnosis of CVA. In this retrospective study were included the patients of greater than or equal to 3 degree of the RLS/85 coma scale, the diagnostic being confirmed by CAT, angiography and/or autopsy, and simultaneously evaluated by the Glasgow coma scale. The studied population was grouped into: SAH; ICH with or without ventricular drowning, cerebellar haematoma, brainstem haematoma, ischaemic CVA. The factors of vascular risk: diabetes and hypertension, the age of the patients and coma level were correlated with the degree of cerebral disability of discharge in all patients. The following factors are clearly related with bad prognosis: coma of degree greater than or equal to 4 in the RLS/85 scale; ischaemic aetiology; intraventricular haemorrhage.