Fatalities in a stroke unit

During the first 4 years of the CV unit the mortality rate among 464 patients was 5.2 per cent. The records of the 24 fatalities were reviewed. In the 10 patients submitted to autopsy the clinician's opinion of the cause of death was confirmed in 6 cases. In 4 cases autopsy revealed brain abscess, pulmonary embolism, acute myocardial infarction and pneumonia, respectively. Other significant findings not registered clinically were made in 4 cases. Twenty-three patients underwent a cerebral CT scan which showed positive findings in 19 cases. In one patient a brain abscess was misinterpreted as a brain infarction and in 2 other patients with a negative CT scan, autopsy revealed a small pontine and hemispheric infarction, respectively. Apart from the misdiagnosis of the brain abscess the accuracy of the CT scan was acceptable. Extracranial complications as a cause of or contributing to death in stroke patients are common. Prevention, early detection and treatment of these complications are important. The findings underscore the importance of autopsy in the evaluation of stroke patients.