Weekend admissions worse for stroke victims

An interesting followup on recent news about stroke victims in Wales should keep banker's hours came from MedlinePlus about how weekend admissions worse for stroke victims:

Canadian researchers analyzed data from almost 21,000 stroke patients admitted to 11 stroke centers in the province of Ontario. Only patients with their first stroke were included in the study.

Seven days after a stroke, patients admitted on weekends had an 8.1 percent risk of dying, compared to a 7 percent risk for those admitted on weekdays. The findings were the same regardless of age, gender, stroke severity, other medical conditions, and the use of blood clot-busting drugs.

Of course, we can't choose when a stroke occurs. However, we can know the signs, get help promptly and speak out on behalf of the stroke victim when, so often, he can't speak for himself.