The advent of stroke units

General intensive care units, as well as specialised units such as those for coronary care, have been in existence for several decades. The aim of a stroke unit—similar to that of comprehensive cancer centres (based on care, research, and training)—was to focus stroke care around a multidisciplinary team of stroke specialists in a single unit. Stroke units were introduced in the 1950s in Norway, Sweden, the USA, and the UK, and by the late 1990s had become technically sophisticated, with the discovery of thrombolysis and with increased funding. Randomised trials done in these early stroke units indicated that organised stroke unit care can reduce mortality by around 25% compared with conventional hospital care. 1 Langhorne P Legg L Evidence behind stroke rehabilitation. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2003; 74: iv18-iv21 Google Scholar