This site is intended for healthcare professionals

account_circleSign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Role of the acute stroke unit

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

An acute unit is an integrated medical ward with special skills in the management of acute stroke. The main activities on the unit are:

  • investigation of the stroke:
    • ECG
    • echocardiography
    • carotid doppler scanning
    • CT scanning

  • prevention of complications:
    • swallowing assessment and prevention of aspiration
    • compression stockings and low dose heparing

  • secondary prevention:
    • aspirin
    • warfarin
    • carotid endarterectomy
    • lipid lowering therapy

  • nursing care

  • rehabilitation

There is no strong data to indicate that the acute stroke unit reduces mortality however historical comparisons suggest that:

  • length of stay in hospital is reduced
  • secondary prevention is more thorough
  • therapists are involved earlier for rehabilitation

Typically patients are moved to a stroke rehabilitation unit after 1-2 weeks.

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page