Long-term outcome of severe stroke patients : Is the ADL status at discharge from a stroke center indicative of the long-term outcome?

The objective of this study was to examine the possibility of predicting the longterm
outcome of severe stroke patients from the ADL status at discharge. The design is a
retrospective observational study in the stroke center at Tokushima University Hospital.
Severe stroke patients at discharge with Barthel Index (BI) scores 40 (N=51) were divided
into two subgroups retrospectively, improved and unimproved. The Functional Independence
Measure (FIM) and BI were analyzed at discharge, 3 and 6 months after onset. Correlation
analysis between BI and FIM showed good correlation, especially between BI and
motor FIM (mFIM). In conclusion, the ADL status at discharge from a stroke center is not
definitely indicative of the long-term outcome, although good recovery of severe stroke
cases was observed in males and younger patients, and in patients with motor FIM score
25. This result shows that the first 3 months after the attack should be regarded as an important
time window for intensive rehabilitation.

The journal of medical investigation : http://medical.med.tokushima-u.ac.jp/jmi/index.html