Subarachnoid haemorrhage: still a lethal disease

Only about 36 per cent of patients who bleed from a cerebral aneurysm make a functional recovery. About the same proportion die or are significantly disabled by the initial haemorrhage. Modern neurosurgical treatment for surviving patients in good general health results in return to normal living for most. The increased recognition of the 'warning leak' by primary care physicians may improve the chances of survival for those who would otherwise die before receiving specialist treatment.