Etiology and clinical characteristics of patients with severely impaired consciousness in prehospital settings: A retrospective study.

Aim: To examine the causes of patients with severely impaired consciousness and the clinical characteristics in prehospital settings that are useful for differential diagnosis, especially stroke.

Methods: We retrospectively examined patients aged ≥16 years with Japan Coma Scale III-digit codes during paramedic contact and transported to our hospital between January 2018 and December 2018. Furthermore, we examined background and physical findings of patients at final diagnosis, and also examined factors associated with stroke.