Evidence-based On-call

Stroke

Clinical features

Assess your patient's functional status specifically looking for dysphagia ^a

Why?

Swallowing problems increase the risk of chest infection

Patient	Prognostic Factor	Outcome	CER	OR (95% CI)	NNF+ (95% CI)
first stroke ^a	delayed/absent swallowing reflex independent	chest infection at 6 months	22%	11.8 (3.30 to 49.6)	2 (2 to 4)

Swallowing problems increase the risk of dying

Patient	Prognostic Factor	Outcome	CER	RR (95% CI)	NNF+ (95% CI)
stroke ^b	dysphagia independent	death at 30 days	10.2%	3.1 (1.8 to 5.6)	5 (2 to 12)