Successful escape of acute ischemic stroke patients from hospital to home: clinical note

I describe four patients who successfully escaped from the hospital to their own home during the acute phase of ischemic stroke. This is a very rare phenomenon (seen in 0.35% of 1150 consecutive patients with first ischemic stroke within 24 h after onset), but the patients had rather uniform clinical characteristics. All were male, around 60 years old, had moderate to severe aphasia (Wernicke's in 2 patients, Broca's in 1, and transcortical motor in 1), and cerebral infarction of the left middle cerebral artery territory. None had significant motor weakness, hemispatial neglect, or hemianopia at the time of escape. Overall functional outcome was good for all but one patient, but aphasia persisted in three. Although none of the four patients sustained serious injury during the escape, patients with such clinical characteristics must be managed cautiously to prevent serious consequences.