Survival of comatose stroke victims in a neurological department in Dakar

Background: In Dakar, stroke is the most frequent neurological disease with the highest mortality. Victims may present in a critical state of coma. The objective of this study was to evaluate survival among comatose stroke patients in Dakar, Senegal. Methods: This was a longitudinal prospective study from April 2006 to July 2007 conducted in the Neurological Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Fann University Teaching Hospital in Senegal. Were included in the study, all stroke patients confirmed by CT scan with a Glasgow coma score less than or equal to 8/15. Patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage were excluded. Results: A total of 105 patients were evaluated with 54 cases of ischemic stroke among them. The mean age was 61.87 ± 14.16 years. The mean duration of hospital stay in the NICU was 10.82 ± 11 days with an estimated mortality of 82.9%; the three-month survival was 9.52%. The median overall survival was 7 ± 1 days (CI95%: 5-9). Conclusion: Comatose stroke patients have a poor prognosis, emphasizing the crucial importance of primary prevention. © 2008 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.