Prognosis in Neurological Intensive Care Unit

Objective: Neurocritical care, or neurological intensive care, provides critical care for patients with neurological or neurosurgical diseases. These patients need to receive medical care for their primary critical illnesses, comorbidities, and complications. This study aims to compare the clinical outcomes of patients with neurological or neurosurgical diseases treated in general ICUs and those of patients treated in neurological intensive care units (neuro-ICU).
Materials and Methods: Patients with neurological and neurosurgical diseases who were treated in the ICUs by a neurointensivist were included in the study. The patients were categorized into two groups according to their ICU types and the study periods: patients in the mixed general ICU (period-1) and patients in the neuro-ICU (period-2). The records in the hospital automation system and this study’s database of patients were evaluated retrospectively.
Results: Sixty-one patients in period-1 and 58 patients in period-2 were evaluated. The ICU mortality rate and the ICU and hospital stay duration were lower in the neuro-ICU patients, but this difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). ICU readmission and in-hospital mortality rates were significantly lower in the neuro-ICU patients (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: This study analyzed the effect of specialized neurocritical care and neuro-ICU organization on patient clinical outcomes. To achieve better patient management in the neuro-ICU, it is necessary to provide quality improvements in the process’s structure, performance, and standardization. In Türkiye, there is a need for studies regarding this subject to establish and agree on standards for neurocritical care.