[Neurological emergencies in a university hospital]

Abstract

Introduction: We analyze the demand and to describe the neurological assistance in a university hospital.

Material and methods: We have performed a retrospective and descriptive study of patients attended in the emergency services by neurologists from June 2000 to May 2001. The inventory and analysis has been carried out across a database in which we codify the reports of the patients diagnosed by means of CIE-9. We have been selected one month where we have collected all calls that neurologist have received, not only those of which reports was realized and codified.

Result: The total number of neurological patients attended in a year was 1,864 representing 2.85% of all emergencies. The most frequent diagnostic were: cerebrovascular stroke (24.57%), epilepsy (13.06%) and headache (6.07%). Few seasonal variation was noted. There was no difference for sex. In the month's study there were 426 patients, which represented 7.78% of all medical urgencies. The most frequent calls came from internal medicine (65.02%).

Conclusion: Neurological emergencies constitute a large percentage of third level hospital's emergencies which justify a neurologist in the medical emergencies team.