Neurological Factors Associated to Mortality in Patients with Cerebrovascular Accident and Artificial Mechanical Ventilation

Abstract

Abstract

Introduction: Cerebrovascular accident is one of the commonest causes of mortality in the world.

Objective: To determine the association between development of neurological disorders and the need for mechanical ventilation with an increased incidence of mortality in the intensive care unit.

Methods: An observational, prospective and cross-sectional study was carried out in the intensive care unit of a secondary care hospital. The study population consisted of 52 patients with cerebrovascular accident who received artificial respiratory support between 2018 and 2020. The final variable of interest was mortality. The neurological factors studied were type of cerebrovascular accident, score according to the Glasgow coma scale, absence of brainstem reflexes, anisocoria, and neurological complications. The level of significance was determined according to P ≤ 0.05, through chi-square of independence.

Results: Proportional mortality prevailed in hemorrhagic cerebrovascular accident of nontraumatic intracranial hemorrhage type (P=0.118), absence of brainstem reflexes (P=0.000), anisocoria (P=0.000), score of less than eight points according to the Glasgow coma scale (P=0.000), and neurological complications such as endocranial hypertension (P=0.010).

Conclusions: The neurological factors associated with mortality were absence of brainstem reflexes, anisocoria, score of less than eight points according to the Glasgow coma scale, and neurological complications such as endocranial hypertension.

 Keywords: cerebrovascular accident; neurological complications; neurological factors; intracranial hemorrhage; artificial mechanical ventilation; mortality.