Indicators Predicting Inpatient Mortality in Post-Stroke Patients Admitted to a Chronic Care Hospital: A Retrospective Pilot Study

Abstract

Evidence concerning the mortality of post-stroke patients admitted to a chronic-phase hospital seems to be lacking. This pilot study aimed to identify mortality-related clinical variables in the admission of post-stroke patients from a retrospective perspective. A group of 38 non-survival stroke patients and another group of 46 survival stroke patients in a chronic-phase ward of the single center were recruited. Clinical variables including age, sex, stroke type, and Barthel index (BI) score were collected. The difference in the age and BI scores on admission were statistically significant between the two groups (p < 0.01). Polytomous logistic regression analysis revealed that age (odds ratio = 1.09, p = 0.03, and 95% confidence interval: 1.01–1.07), male sex (odds ratio = 5.04, p = 0.01, and 95% confidence interval: 1.39–18.27), and BI scores on admission (odds ratio = 0.90, p = 0.01, and 95% confidence interval: 0.83–0.97) could be prognostic variables. The percentage of correct classification was 83.3%. Age, male sex, and BI scores on admission may be prognostic indicators. The result of this study could lay the groundwork for palliative care for such a clinical population.