Physiological Monitoring Statistics
Pyrexia –The infection rate after stroke is about 30%, of which 10% are chest infections and 10% are urinary tract infections. Fever without an identified infection occurs in 15% of stroke patients. Fever is associated with worse outcomes.
Blood pressure – High blood pressure occurs in up to 75% of stroke patients on admission to hospital, but will fall spontaneously in two-thirds of patients in the first week. Stroke patients that remain hypertensive are more likely to have worse outcomes. Furthermore, low blood pressure, commonly due to dehydration or hypotensive drugs, may cause deterioration of a stroke patient.
Glucose –Hyperglycaemia occurs in 8-20% of diabetic and 16-24% of non-diabetic acute stroke patients. Early and persistent hyperglycaemia is associated with worse stroke outcomes. Hypoglycaemia can mimic the symptoms of an acute stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA).
Heart rate and arrhythmias – Atrial fibrillation results in a 5-fold increase in the risk of stroke and 20-30% of all strokes are caused by this arrhythmia. Stroke patients with atrial fibrillation suffer increased levels of mortality, morbidity and disability with longer hospital stays compared with stroke patients without this arrhythmia. Changes in heart rate may indicate serious complications of stroke.
Decreased conscious level – Up to 38% of patients have a reduced conscious level in the first few days after an acute stroke. Causes include direct damage to the brainstem by the stroke, raised intra-cranial pressure, hypoxia, hypotension, serious infection, electrolyte imbalance, epileptic seizures or obstructive hydrocephalus.
Respiratory rate – An increased respiratory rate and falls in oxygen saturations can occur for a number of reasons such after stroke, including pneumonia, respiratory muscle dysfunction, pulmonary embolism, sepsis, and sleep apnoea. Current guidelines recommend that oxygen saturation levels should be kept at 95% or above.
Page last reviewed: 12 Oct 2020
