[Cerebrovascular accident: a medical emergency]

Although stroke mortality varies very widely between the different countries, about 10-15% of swiss patients die from stroke complications within the first 2 weeks and around 30% within the first 6 months. In Switzerland 40% of the patients who experienced a first ever stroke remain dependent 6 months after the beginning of symptoms. After the positive results obtained with thrombolysis in myocardial infarction, several studies demonstrated the benefit of thrombolytic agents when administered within the very first hours of stroke. Moreover, besides thrombolysis, early control of different general parameters (blood pressure, temperature, blood sugar level) also favorably influences the prognosis of the patients. For these different reasons, every stroke has to be considered as a medical emergency.