Stroke units. The first-year results of Pulido Valente Hospital Stroke Unit.

Stroke is a worldwide problem with high incidence, mortality, disability rates and costs. There is clear evidence from systematic reviews of randomized trials that management by a stroke unit saves lives, increases the number of independent survivors and reduces institutionalization. Like coronary care units, stroke units are known to improve outcome by concentrating patients who should be treated by a multidisciplinary stroke team. Despite this clear evidence, only a few patients can benefit from this in Portugal, since the number of beds in stroke units is very small. Here we describe how we established our stroke unit and the encouraging results of the first year's work.