Journal of stroke and cerebrovascular diseases : the official journal of National Stroke Association
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J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis · Jul 2015
Blood Pressure Variability and Clinical Outcome in Patients with Acute Intracerebral Hemorrhage.
The aim of this study was to evaluate whether fluctuations of blood pressure (BP) levels occurring in the acute stage of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) affect the 3-month clinical outcome. ⋯ In patients with acute ICH, BPV was a strong predictor of the 3-month clinical outcome and may represent a still neglected potential therapeutic target.
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J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis · Jul 2015
Self-Care Self-Efficacy Correlates with Independence in Basic Activities of Daily Living in Individuals with Chronic Stroke.
(1) To characterize the self-care self-efficacy (SCSE) of community dwelling individuals with chronic stroke and (2) to determine the contribution of SCSE to the independence in basic and instrumental activities of daily living (BADL and IADL) and the participation of individuals with chronic stroke. SCSE is the confidence in one's own ability to perform self-care activities. ⋯ Higher SCSE of individuals with chronic stroke contributes to more independence in BADL. Additional questionnaires regarding self efficacy for IADL should be developed and investigated.
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J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis · Jul 2015
Outcome of Intensive Care Unit-Dependent, Tracheotomized Patients with Cerebrovascular Diseases.
Outcome studies in intensive care unit -dependent, tracheotomized, and mechanical ventilated patients with cerebrovascular disease (CVD) are scarce. ⋯ This study shows that even severely affected, tracheotomized patients with CVD benefit from early in-patient rehabilitation, irrespective of the etiology of vascular brain injury. Mortality rates of early rehabilitation in CVD are low. Until no validated outcome predictors are available, all efforts should be undertaken to enable in-patient rehabilitation, even in severe cases of CVD to improve outcome and to prevent accommodation in long-time-care facilities.
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J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis · Jun 2015
Inter-rater Reliability and Misclassification of the ABCD(2) Score after Transient Ischemic Attack.
The ABCD(2) score was initially developed as a simple tool to help first-line clinicians identify patients at highest short-term risk for stroke after transient ischemic attack (TIA). The score is increasingly used for risk stratification of TIA patients, but little is known about its inter-rater reliability. The aim of the present study was to prospectively assess the inter-rater reliability of the ABCD(2) score in patients with TIA, including a comparison among raters of different specialties. ⋯ The inter-rater reliability of the ABCD(2) score is only fair, with rater disagreement of ABCD(2) risk category in nearly one third of patients.
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J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis · Jun 2015
Stroke awareness and knowledge in an urban New Zealand population.
Stroke is the third most common cause of death and a major cause of chronic disability in New Zealand. Linked to risk factors that develop across the life-course, stroke is considered to be largely preventable. This study assessed the awareness of stroke risk, symptoms, detection, and prevention behaviors in an urban New Zealand population. ⋯ The variability in stroke awareness and knowledge may suggest the need to enhance stroke-related health literacy that facilitates understanding of risk and of factors that reduce morbidity and mortality after stroke in people of Māori and Pacific Island descent and in those with lower educational attainment or socioeconomic status. It is therefore important that stroke awareness campaigns include tailored components for target audiences.