Epidemiology and Management of Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Chile

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the second cause of stroke in Chile (23% of all strokes). The Araucanía Region has double the mortality rate by stroke compared with most regions in Chile. In developing countries like Chile, it is difficult to admit patients with ICH to the intensive care unit (ICU) for general neuroprotec-tion and an aggressive lowering of blood pressure. The aim is to report the experience in the treatment of patients with ICH in a regional public hospital in Temuco, Chile. A convenience sample of the ICH consultations made during shift # 1 in the emergency room (ER) of the Hospital Dr. Hernán Henríquez Aravena between January 2016 and December 2018 was analyzed. There were 108 consultations for ICH in the period. The average age of the patients was 66.0 years (SD = 14.1). About 56.5% of the patients were male. Regarding the etiology, 70.4% were hyper-tensive, 18.5% were due to amyloid angiopathy, and 11.1% were for other causes. The implementation of 24/7 neurology shifts in the ER allowed us to reduce the evaluation time and improve the management of ICH patients. On the other hand, our hospital lacks a stroke unit, so ICH patients do not receive the standard care.